Changes Unforseen
by EchoLynn
Summary: Narcissa Malfoy is murdered and Draco realizes he can't stand to grovel at Voldemort's feet anymore. He decides to change and falls into the hands of his enemies. Hermione discovers him in a new light. But does the future hold anything for them?
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1 - Enemies Reunited**

Hermione sat at the kitchen table and wondered when it would all end. The war was at its peak and, one way or the other, it would soon be over. Dozens of Death Eaters were dead or captured, and a few had actually revealed what they knew. The rest were crazed and devoted to Voldemort and were sure to be sentenced to death. With the Dementors no longer working for the Ministry, no one wanted to risk imprisoning the Death Eaters, who would almost certainly try to escape. They knew better now, after previous breakouts.

Everyone in the Order was assigned jobs, including the recently graduated students from Hogwarts. Harry and Ron were out searching for the second to last Horcrux. They were just one step away from the last one—Voldemort himself.

Hermione's job was to investigate tips that the Order received, hoping to find a valuable one that would help them capture the remaining Death Eaters and find the hideout of their Dark Lord.

On this particular day, just as Hermione was about to take a nap, Hedwig flew in the window of the hidden Order headquarters and landed before her on the kitchen table. Hermione opened the envelope she bore and saw that the letter was from Tom, the barman from the Leaky Cauldron. It read"

_I received Intel that the younger Malfoy is possibly hiding just outside of Little Hangleton in a small, run-down house. It's important to get there soon; he may be of help if he is captured and can be made to talk. Health and luck be with you_

_Tom_

Hermione put the letter in a box hidden in the wall and left the kitchen, pausing only to grab her things. She picked up her wand, Invisibility Cloak, and a two-way mirror that was paired with one carried by one of the senior Order members, and walked out the door.

Once she was outside and under the Cloak, she Apparated instantly into the woods a slight distance from the house. She knew where she was because she remembered Harry's description of the Pensieve visit he had taken with Dumbledore. She crept slowly out of the trees and saw the run-down house, with people's shadows inside.

Taking slow breaths, she quietly walked to the window and looked in. Sure enough, Draco Malfoy was there, as was Bellatrix Lestrange; to Hermione's surprise, Draco was crying. She watched him closely and realised he didn't look the same as usual. He looked broken.

She saw that he held a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and knew at once that he was reading about his mother's murder. Bellatrix Lestrange laughed at him cruelly, and Hermione heard her say, "The Dark Lord told you not to betray him; now you know the cost of your cowardice."

Smirking, she went on, "You have one last chance to prove yourself. The Dark Lord has a job for you. You are to locate Arthur Weasley—and kill him!" Draco looked pale but agreed to do it.

Hermione gasped loudly and turned to run, but it was too late: Bellatrix had heard her. Bellatrix yelled, "_Bombarda!_" knocking Hermione to the ground, glass and wood from the window raining down around her.

As Bellatrix came out the door Hermione tried to get up, but Bellatrix saw her shoes sticking out from beneath the Invisibility Cloak and Stupefied her. Hermione was scared; she knew that in Bellatrix's hands she was as good as dead.

She watched as Bellatrix approached her. Bellatrix pulled back the cloak to reveal who she had found, laughing at the silent tears that streamed down Hermione's face.

Just as Bellatrix lifted her wand, Hermione heard a voice shout, "_Avada Kedavra!_" Bellatrix fell face-down, dead instantly, and Hermione was free to move. She got up, watching Draco as he lowered his wand and faced her.

Surprised by his restraint, Hermione simply stared at Draco, who stared back, his own tears still falling. When he spoke, it was ever so quietly: "She killed my mother—she killed her. I know it was Bellatrix."

Hermione asked nervously, "Are you going to kill me, too?"

Draco looked at her. "No. I'm done with all of them, and now they'll kill me."

Hermione replied, "Not if you come with me. We can protect you. We know you can be good, Draco; we knew you couldn't bring yourself to kill Dumbledore. We could help you if you were to help us in return. You could try to earn our trust."

Draco looked at her, about to say something in reply, when suddenly he screamed, "_Get down!" _He aimed his wand to kill the Death Eater that had suddenly appeared behind her, but he was hit with a Blasting Curse. He went down as Hermione rolled over and shouted, "_Avada Kedavra!_" Having dispatched the Death Eater, she ran to Draco and grabbed his arm. Raising her hand to her neck, she instantly activated the Portkey pendant on her necklace, and moments later they landed in the corridor of the Order's headquarters.

Dazed from the Blasting Curse and the subsequent awkward trip to Order headquarters, Draco sat up slowly and looked around. "Where are we?" he asked her.

"I'll answer questions later. I need you to hand over your wand and any other weapons you have," she said, pointing her wand at him. "You have a long way to go before you can be trusted, and you can't be armed when the other members of the Order arrive." Draco slowly handed her his wand and turned out his pockets to show he had nothing else. She smiled at him briefly. "Good. Now, follow me. You can eat something after you write down every bit of information you can think of that will help to redeem you."

He followed her into the kitchen and was handed a simple corned-beef sandwich, some pumpkin juice, and a quill and parchment. He ate while Hermione spoke into her two-way mirror, summoning one of the senior Order members. As she waited for Tonks to arrive, she watched Draco take small bites in between writing sentences.

Suddenly there was a commotion in the hall, and then Tonks walked into the kitchen, complaining about rugs and a sore toe from tripping over one. She smiled when she saw Hermione watching over Draco, knowing that they appeared to have finally got a lucky break.

"Wotcher, Hermione. Is he unarmed? Does he have any helpful information?"

"Yes to both, Tonks. This is Draco Malfoy. I captured him after receiving a tip. I put the tip note in the box, by the way. Draco wants to prove he has changed; it seems his mother's death turned him in the right direction."

Draco looked at Hermione and quietly said, "Please. Don't talk about my mother ever again."

Hermione smiled kindly, saying, "Of course. I'm sorry about her, Draco." Draco glanced at her as she pulled Tonks into the corner of the room, still within sight of their informer, her wand at the ready just in case. He wondered how she could be so nice to filth like him, and he wondered what the reaction to his presence would be by the other Order members.

Hermione whispered to Tonks, "We need to spread the word to as many of the members as possible so that no one gets wand-crazy when they see him and hurts him."

Tonks agreed and walked out of the room to alert the others. Draco motioned to Hermione and handed over the parchment, then proceeded to eat the rest of his sandwich.

As she read, he said, "I'm sorry for everything, you know, back at school all those years. And for everything else that's happened since then." He hung his head and looked at the table. "It wasn't easy with my father breathing down my neck, trying to prepare me for the life he'd chosen for me. I guess that's why I was so nasty—to vent, you know? Deep down I knew I didn't want that life, but I was too weak to walk away from him, too scared, and now my mother is..." He stopped talking and sipped at his pumpkin juice for a bit.

Hermione was stunned to hear Draco say those things. He had always been her enemy; he was hated for his evil taunts, calling her "Mudblood" and such. Looking at him carefully, she knew that he was different, and that he meant what he said. She could see the pain and regret in his eyes.

She told him, "It will be a while before you're really trusted. You did a lot of horrible things, and people will hate you; most of them won't be so forgiving. I'll probably be assigned to watch you constantly, since I was the one who captured you."

Draco looked at her. "I don't blame anyone for not believing me or for hating me. I let my father turn me into a monster like Bellatrix, who killed my mother. I'll do anything I can to help the Order kill every last one of those monsters. _I swear on my mother's grave!_"

Hermione was at a loss for words; she didn't know what she could possibly say after that declaration. They shared a look for a moment, each one seeking some understanding. Hermione squeezed his shoulder briefly. Then she motioned for him to follow her and led him to a room upstairs where he could sleep. After locking him in with several spells, she thought of the pity she felt for him and surprisingly also felt a little compassion. She decided then and there not to judge him for his past, but for what he would do now and in future; because if he was sincere, he deserved a chance to change. Everyone deserved that chance.

Draco sat in the room feeling disgusted with himself, empty. His mind wandered to Hermione. He was still surprised that she had practically comforted him, after all he had done to her and her friends. _How can she forgive me? _he wondered to himself. He remembered the look in her eyes when Bellatrix had Stupefied her; Hermione had been sure she was about to die. Her face had been frozen and fearful.

He had felt the hate stir up in him then and had killed Bellatrix without hesitation. He remembered the feeling he'd got when he'd lowered his wand and seen the other Death Eaters appear and point their wands at Hermione to kill her. He'd felt protective, and that surprised him most of all. It was like he didn't know himself. He would have to get used to his father not breathing down his neck any more. He wasn't used to listening to his own feelings instead of thinking about what his father expected of him.

For the first time in years, he felt a little happy with himself. He was free—free to be himself, whoever that was. He owed it to his mother, and he also felt he owed it to Hermione, who was willing to overlook his past. He promised himself at that moment that he would do anything to repay the kindness she had shown him by extending the opportunity for forgiveness and a glimpse of what freedom of mind could be like. He _could_ be good, and he intended to prove it.

Downstairs, members of the Order were arriving for the nightly meeting. As soon as everyone was gathered and quiet, Hermione raised her hand and announced that she had good news. Everyone looked on as she picked up Draco's parchment and read off all of the tips and secrets that he had written for them.

Everyone stared in astonishment, and it was Mr. Weasley who finally asked, "Where did you get all this information?" She smiled and explained about the tip from Tom the barman, her trip to Little Hangleton, and her captured reformer. Mrs. Weasley asked, "Where is he—and how can you be so sure he really wants to change and isn't trying to trick us?"

"It's a hunch," explained Hermione. "I could see his pain over what he's done, which indirectly led to his mother's death. He says he really does want to change, and I believe him. I know some of you don't, and you think I'm being careless, but I promise to take full responsibility for him. I'll watch him night and day; I'll cast spells to help me do those things. I'll get Tiny and Lucky to help me watch over him:—between us, we'll have him under constant surveillance. And I promise if I feel the least bit nervous about any action or comment of his, I'll alert one of you immediately." She looked at them earnestly, willing them to give Draco this chance.

Mr. Weasley looked around the table and asked the other members if they all agreed. Every one replied in the affirmative. Hermione, privately sagging a little with relief, nodded to them and said, "I'll go cast those protective spells right now and explain things to Tiny and Lucky."

Although everyone was shocked by the night's events, they didn't let that stop the meeting. They went over the revealing information Draco had given them, divided up the tasks of seeing if the information really was helpful, and left with high hopes. They knew Hermione had good sense. This was the best thing to happen to them in quite a while.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2- Bad News**

Hermione went to Draco's room the next morning with two house-elves in tow. She knocked on the door and unlocked it with her wand after hearing him say, "Come in."

Draco was still abed, barely awake. She smiled at him as she led the house-elves into the room for introductions. "Draco, this is Tiny and this is Lucky. They will be with you on alternating shifts when I'm not around, as a little extra security." Tiny and Lucky bowed and smiled at Draco while he looked at them with uncomfortable curiosity.

He asked Hermione, "You're going to let these house-elves ignore their chores to follow me around?"

Hermione looked at him sternly. "I know you're used to house-elves being your unseen personal slaves, but things are different here. Lucky and Tiny are here voluntarily, and they are completely loyal to the Order. They are paid for their work and you will _not_ treat them like vermin. They are creatures with feelings, and you will find yourself _very_ regretful if you dare to insult, abuse, or take advantage of them! Do you understand?"

Draco nodded his head in agreement and followed Hermione down the hall, darting quizzical glances at the house-elves bringing up the rear. She directed him to the bathroom and told Lucky to stay with him. As Draco cleaned himself up a bit, he kept looking over at Lucky, wondering at the many changes he was going to face. "Lucky, do you know exactly what I'll be doing while I'm here?"

Lucky looked up at him nervously. "No, sir, Lucky is not knowing. Lucky is just being glad to be given a job here. It is such an honour to be here at the noble Order's headquarters," the little house-elf finished with a hesitant smile. When Draco was finished, he asked Lucky to lead him to the kitchen, only at the last moment remembering to tack on a hasty "please".

Hermione was in the kitchen using her wand and humming as she prepared a large breakfast. He sat down quietly, not wanting to disturb her. She was so different from what he remembered of her at school. She was quite beautiful, actually, a thought that surprised him greatly. _I really _have_ changed! _he thought to himself. He cleared his throat to get Hermione's attention and his lips twitched in a little smile when she nearly dropped her wand in surprise, along with the plates she was getting out of the cupboards.

"Oh! I didn't hear you come in," Hermione exclaimed in surprise. "Would you please set out the plates on the table? Just stack them in the centre. The others won't have much time to eat when they get up or come back from their shifts."

Draco nodded and made himself get to work, doing something he had never done in his life: touching a dish from which he wasn't eating. "Hermione, what exactly will I be doing here? Will I stay here at the Headquarters, or are you and the Order going to hand me over to the Ministry?" He winced when his voice quivered a bit, showing the anxiety he felt over this particular question.

Hermione was shocked to hear the nervousness in his voice but smiled lightly when she replied, "We won't turn you over to the Ministry—unless you betray us, that is. So far a few pieces of your information have turned out to be helpful. For now you'll stay here and help me run the place. That means helping me clean the house and prepare food. Members come in at all hours, so we need to keep food available for them."

Still curious, Draco said, "I thought you had another job to do. Weren't you spying on me yesterday?"

"Well, yes, but now that you've decided to turn over a new leaf, someone else is taking over my job and I'll be with you. You _are_ my job, now." She smiled at him. "I'll show you the rest of the house today and lay out our basic schedule." Turning to leave the kitchen, she said, "Well, we can leave the food on the stove to stay warm. Let's get to work. Tiny, please watch over the food and help the others with their breakfast when they come in." Tiny bowed and smiled, saying, "Surely, Miss. Tiny is proud to help."

Draco followed Hermione through the Order's Headquarters and was told that it had been graciously given to them by a fellow member who no longer wished to own it. It was rather large, fifteen bedrooms in all, most of which now contained oversized bunkbeds to accommodate those who needed to rest but couldn't return to their own homes. It had four bathrooms upstairs and three downstairs. There were two large sitting rooms and the very large kitchen next to a dining room that seated twenty. For those who wanted to relax and enjoy a few rare, hard-earned moments of fun, there was a Muggle billiard room. In the billiard room there were also wizard chess boards and packs of wizard cards for playing Exploding Snap. There was also a decent-sized library with large, comfortable couches and over-sized chairs.

Hermione explained that they would be changing and washing sheets and blankets in all the bedrooms, dusting the entire house gradually, a few rooms each day, and helping Tiny and Lucky prepare the constant stream of food. "Although maybe not as much food as usual, since nowadays everyone is getting busier and busier and eating wherever and whenever they can," she said.

As Hermione showed him how to strip the beds and put clean sheets and blankets on, Draco couldn't help but think how much she had changed and how adorable she was. He had to admire her for the Muggle background he had always taunted her about. She really didn't seem to mind doing Muggle chores, and it made him realise how spoilt he'd been all those years he'd spent at Malfoy Manor. Just thinking about his old home and his old life made him grimace. _To think I used to be _proud_ to be a Malfoy! Even after Lucius beat me and subjected me to the Cruciatus Curse when I did something wrong, it took those damnd Dementors to turn my head, _he thought to himself.

Coming out of his nightmarish daze, he continued to observe Hermione as she showed him the household routines. Every now and then she caught him staring at her. She couldn't help but glance at him, too. Neither of them had any idea that they were thinking along the same lines. She couldn't help noticing how masculine and handsome he was. He still had the same pale blonde hair, and those arresting grey eyes that had a breathtaking streak of silver in them. She shook her head mentally, wondering at herself. _I can't believe I think he's handsome. Draco Malfoy is handsome. I'm actually attracted to him!_ she thought to herself.

Later that day, an emergency meeting was called for all those Order members who could attend. Hermione asked Draco to finish the dusting in the sitting room next to the kitchen. Leaving Lucky to watch over him and help, she rushed to the kitchen, preparing pumpkin juice and bottled butterbeer for the members to drink.

Mr. Weasley called the meeting to order with a somber look on his face. "Tonks, Remus, and Filius, there is a new job we need you to do. It seems that some Death Eaters have been tasked with attacking our families. We must make haste and get our families into hiding; we've already lost one family, and we can't let it happen again. Here are lists of the safe houses they can stay at. I urge you to act quickly. I wish we could all help you, but the rest of you have to keep your present assignments. You know how important they are." He stopped and took a breath.

Remus asked, "Who did they attack?"

Mr. Weasley avoided eye contact with everyone and stared at the floor. "We'll discuss that later. The victim's family must be informed first. Tonks, Remus, and Filius, you must go. We don't have much time!" With that, Tonks, Remus, and Filius grabbed their lists and Disapparated quickly. The rest of the members slowly left the house, quietly speaking about who would be in danger and reminding themselves that everyone knew the risks. They couldn't give up.

Draco heard every word. He had stopped dusting, hoping to hear something through the slight crack in the kitchen door. After everyone else had left, he heard Mr. Weasley ask Hermione very quietly to sit down.

She immediately froze, unable to move and not wanting to hear what she suspected would come out of his mouth. "Hermione, I'm sorry. There was nothing you or your parents could do. It seems that Voldemort targeted the relatives of the Muggle-born Order members first. I'm so sorry."

Draco peered through the door that was cracked open. Hermione's face paled and tears started to roll down her cheeks. As the information of her parents' death settled in her mind, she cried, "_No!_ This isn't true. But they're _harmless!_ I haven't even seen them in _five months_; they _can't_ be gone!" She sobbed hysterically, shaking her head in futile denial. Her breathing became uneven as the panic attack took over. She fell sideways off her chair and fell to the floor with a thud, unconscious.

Draco rushed into the room and helped Mr. Weasley lift her up and carry her to a couch in the sitting room. Mr. Weasley looked assessingly at Draco and seemed to come to a decision. "Mr. Malfoy," he said, "please watch over her. I need to help the other families." He raised his voice. "Tiny! Lucky!" The house-elves appeared in the doorway. "Please make some calming tea for Hermione. Lucky, why don't you help Tiny watch over Hermione and Mr. Malfoy? Call me if you need anything. Don't hesitate to use your powers if you become alarmed about anything. No offense intended, Mr. Malfoy; I'm sure you understand."

Draco told Mr. Weasley not to worry: he was there to help, and he promised to watch over Hermione very closely. "Thank you…Draco, have I got that right? I need to go. When she wakes up, urge her to drink the tea, but don't push her to talk about her parents." Mr. Weasley Disapparated immediately, leaving Draco to deal with Hermione. He wasn't offended when Mr. Weasley told the house-elves to keep an eye on him, reasoning that the man could hardly do otherwise. Draco was determined to prove himself trustworthy.

He looked down at Hermione. A wave of sadness hit him, knowing how she felt. Feeling anything at all for someone else was new to him, though. And this was Hermione Granger, a person he had always despised because she was Muggle-born. The only emotions he had felt before yesterday were fear, resentment, confusion, and neglect, which were mainly due to his father's treatment of him. Before yesterday, he had thought he would be dead or worse, having to continue being one of the very people he had grown to hate.

He knew that his abandonment of his future as a Death Eater had most likely put his father in danger of being killed by the Dark Lord. His father already had two black marks against him—one for destroying the Horcrux in the form of Tom Riddle's diary that had been entrusted to his protection, and another for failing to retrieve the prophecy for the Dark Lord at the Ministry a few years earlier.

But none of that mattered any more. Hermione's parents were dead, his mother was dead, and he felt guilty. But he didn't fear for his father's life any longer. As far as he was concerned, his father was partly to blame for Narcissa's death. Draco was coming to realise how horribly evil his father was and had encouraged Draco himself to be. _I won't be like him any more. I'm done; I _will_ change. I just hope the people I've hurt will give me the chance to, _he thought to himself.

A/N: THIS IS THE NEWLY EDITED VERSION OF CHAPTER TWO! I HOPE YOU NOTICE AND ENJOY THE IMPROVEMENTS, SEEING AS IT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT MY TWO WONDERFUL BETAS (TO WHICH I GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS!). PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE NOTIFIED EVERY TIME A CHAPTER OF MINE IS UPDATED!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3 - Loss and Anticipation**

Hermione woke forty-five minutes later. As her eyes fluttered open, it hit her for the second time: her parents were dead. _I'll never see them again and never get to say goodbye, _she thought as tears crept up on her again.

She looked over and saw Draco sitting on the floor, staring at his feet, miserably crying tears of his own. She sat up and he quickly looked up, wiping his own tears away, and proceeded to pour her some of the calming tea that sat ready on a low table.

"Here, drink this. Mr. Weasley said it might help," he said as he passed her the cup. "Hermione, I'm so sorry about your parents. I…uh…don't know what to say except that I'm sorry. And I _swear _if I'd known anything about those attacks, I would have told you. I didn't know..."

She interrupted"It's _okay. _I know you would have It's not your fault. Thank you, but you don't need to be sorry for what you didn't do."

He got up off the carpet and came to sit beside her on the couch. "I'm not really good at comforting people, but if there's anything I can do or anything I can get for you, just say the word."

She smiled sadly and replied, "I guess I should offer you same. We're both going through the same situation. I don't want to seem cruel or anything, but it will be easier having someone around who really _knows_ how I feel. You know?"

He nodded in agreement and they sat for a while, drinking tea and reflecting on it all. After twenty minutes and two full cups of tea, Hermione got up and said, "I can't just sit around. Will you help me get on with the chores? It might help us get our minds off things we can't change."

Draco agreed, and they both took up their feather dusters and headed for the billiard room, hoping to shake off the numbness. As sad as they both felt, their misery was eased for each of them by having the other there.

All day long, the few members of the Order that could take a quick break offered their condolences as they came and went, and it began to make Hermione uncomfortable. She didn't want to hear those same words over and over again: "Hang in there, it will get better," and "Do you want to talk about it?"

She felt badly for Draco; no one seemed to remember or care that he had lost _his_ mother as well. She knew a lot of them hated Draco and didn't trust him; they certainly couldn't bring themselves to offer him comfort.

Hermione and Draco worked themselves to exhaustion—Draco more so than she, partly in an effort to prove his good intentions, but he didn't complain. With the urgency of getting the rest of the Orders' families to safety, there wasn't a need to prepare as much food, and Draco and Hermione were able to take the night off after the daily chores had been done. They decided to sit in the billiard room and listen to the radio, hoping the sounds of the Weird Sisters would distract them from feeling anything. They both fell asleep soon after sitting down.

Tonks arrived back at Grimmauld Place around midnight and did a double take when she finally found Hermione. Her head rested on Draco's shoulder, and his arm was around her shoulders, his own head leaning against hers. Tonks deciding to leave them. She turned down the radio and went to fetch herself something to eat, still shocked by the scene in the billiard room.

A few hours before daybreak Draco woke up with a sudden shocking pain. He accidentally hit Hermione in the head as he grimaced and clutched his right arm.

"What? What is it? Are you okay, Draco?" she asked as she rubbed her head and tried to focus her eyes. She saw that he was holding his arm, which was branded with the Dark Mark. She instantly tensed and looked into his face, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

He turned, still favouring his arm, and replied, "I will be. It's still hard to get used to it. When _he _calls, everyone's Markturns black and you feel pretty much the same pain as if it was being burned on again with a red-hot brand."

She looked at him, wondering what to say. It was too surreal, sitting here and calmly discussing his Dark Mark. "If you want, we can try to find a way to get rid of it. There has to be a way!" She looked suddenly energised at the prospect of a research project, and he chuckled in spite of himself—it was so very Hermione. "I'll check the library, and if you help me, we can find out all there is to know about the Dark Mark—and hopefully find a way to remove it."

Draco smiled faintly. "It would take a miracle to come up with a solution to this _thing_. The Dark Lord has a kind of ritual when a person is about to join his ranks. He stated very plainly and calmly that the only way for it to be removed is if a person is to die and be burnt to a crisp."

Hermione sat there absorbing this information. She tried to clear her mind and think of what to say or do next. She looked Draco in the eye, wondering at the strange look on his face. She said determinedly, "Well, here we are in the company of great, powerful, and _good_ wizards and witches! We'll ask for their advice when someone comes back. In the mean time, let's search the library anyway—we're bound to find a solution!"

Draco couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at her offer. He was grateful and in awe of her determined willingness to help him. It was almost as if they were friends, which he had never dreamed would happen. She smiled back at him, and both of them wondered the same thing: _Are we actually friends now_?

Draco rose and gave her his hand to help her up. "Is your head all right? I didn't mean to hit it. I don't even know how we ended up sleeping like…like that."

Both of them blushed a little. Hermione hastily said, "My head will be fine. Let's get cleaned up. Then we can help get breakfast started." As they walked upstairs to separate bathrooms, both of them couldn't help but try to figure out these strange feelings they were experiencing for each other.

Hermione had been trying to think of a way to break the news about Draco's about-face to Harry and Ron. She knew they would freak out a bit, and they certainly wouldn't be inclined to believe he was capable of reforming. To her surprise and Draco's dread, Mr. Weasley had apparently sent Hedwig to the boys with the news already.

Around midday, while Draco and Hermione were dusting the dining room, Harry and Ron walked in with stony faces pointed straight at Draco. Rudely interrupting Hermione's and Draco's conversation, Harry said, "What's the matter, Draco? Did you get tired of acting as your father's perfect little puppet?"

Hermione gave Harry a dirty look, then turned a friendly and apologetic glance toward Draco. He scowled at Harry and Ron, ready to fling a nasty remark in their direction, but his heart wasn't in it. He wanted to change, so he refused to let his old self have a go at them. Instead, he bit off his own remark, dropped the duster, and told Hermione he would go help Tiny finish with lunch.

As soon as he'd left the room Hermione rounded on Harry and Ron and motioned for them to follow her to the library. The second the door had closed behind them, she turned to them and shouted, "I can't _believe _you two! Draco really has changed after finding out that Bellatrix murdered his mother. She _laughed_ at him as he read the front page; it changed him. He saved my life! He killed Bellatrix to save me and to get revenge for what she'd done to him and his mother. And _then _he saved me _again_, just in time, by warning me to get down when a Death Eater showed up. He was hit by a curse himself!"

She took a second to get her breath, seething at them, watching their shocked faces. In a calmer voice, she said, "I know this is hard to believe and hard to imagine, but we have to open our eyes. If you do that, you'll notice the same changes I have. All three of us know Draco has always been a bit...transparent whenever he was up to something. If you take the time and hold your tongue, you'll see that I'm right." And to show that she wasn't just lecturing them, she walked up and hugged them both, saying how much she missed them and how glad she was that they were safe. Then she opened the door and said, "I'm going to go help with lunch. There's supposed to be a big meeting today." Harry and Ron looked at each other and quietly, thoughtfully, followed a few steps behind her.

Harry and Ron were unnerved, to say the least. Having Hermione lecture them about Draco being good, and watching as Draco and Hermione prepared lunch in friendly co-existence, was difficult to get comfortable with. Harry suspected Draco hadn't lifted a finger in the kitchen in his life until recently, but he appeared to be a quick study.

Ron and Harry both offered to help, but Draco replied, "Don't worry about it. We have it covered." Not knowing what to say, the boys both nodded briefly before sending questioning looks at each other. They were all rescued from an uncomfortable silence when other members of the Order walked in and began to serve themselves large helpings of food.

Hermione and Draco appeared not to notice the shocked and unnerved looks that everyone cast in their direction every now and then during the meal. When the dishes were being collected by Tiny and Lucky and the chatting started, Mr. Weasley called the meeting to order.

"All right, people. Lots to go over. I know we all need to listen to updates and see where we stand. Hermione…, can you and Draco please take a break from the kitchen and go relax somewhere? We'll fill you in later on the things you need to know, okay?"

Hermione gestured to Draco, and he followed. "Bet you the sitting room dusting that I beat you at chess," he offered as they walked out of the kitchen.

"You're on, Malfoy!" was heard as the door to the kitchen closed.

It was only then, during the meeting, that Harry and Ron heard the awful news about Hermione's parents. Everyone took a second to think of Hermione. The other news was good, though—it seemed that all the other families had been safely hidden.

The members pooled all of their information and started to talk about the end of the war. Now that the second to last Horcrux was destroyed, all they had to do was locate and destroy Voldemort. Everyone had high hopes: the end was near, and because of Draco's help, they finally had an advantage over Voldemort.

One of the tips that Draco had revealed was that he had once overheard several members of the Death Eaters mention the Riddle house and an orphanage. Harry knew of the orphanage from his visits with Dumbledore in the Pensieve. They had discovered where it was located, so all they had to do now was pick off as many Death Eaters as possible. They had various tips and rumours as to Voldemort's meeting place where he gathered his Death Eaters, scheming and arranging the mass attacks.

With excitement in the air, they said quick goodbyes and good lucks, and left to track down the remaining Death Eaters. Harry and Ron didn't linger long to say goodbye to Hermione. They were uncertain what to say about her parents and didn't know what to think about Malfoy. Leaving the house, they turned and Disapparated with Remus and Tonks.

When Mr. Weasley walked into the sitting room, Draco started to rise. "No, Draco, you can stay. It's thanks to you that we've had such progress over the last few days, so I think you're entitled to hear the news." Mr. Weasley went on to explain the gist of their progress and plans.

Once he was done, Draco asked about his father. "Any news on him? Have you got him yet? If not, I can give you a few ideas of where he might hide."

Mr. Weasley interrupted him, "We've heard substantial rumours that he's on the run from Voldemort. Because of his situation, we all agree that if he gets the chance he'll come after you. He'll be desperate to get back into Voldemort's good graces, and presenting you would be his idea of a peace offering."

Draco nodded. With a bitter look on his face he said, "That doesn't surprise me. He never _really_ cared about me. All I ever was to him was a possession to control—something he hoped would make him look better."

Mr. Weasley felt sorry for him, and he showed it with a sad smile and a gentle pat on the back. "Well, because of that, it will be best if you stay here at the house with Hermione. In fact, as hard as it may be, it would be better if you stayed here until the war is over and your father is…captured. For your safety, of course..." Mr. Weasley rose to be on his way, and Draco shot up off the couch.

" Sir, let me tell you all the possible places that my dad could be hiding in case any of you have the time to look."

As Mr. Weasley motioned for him to follow, Hermione smiled slightly, thinking about the future. Then her thoughts turned to Draco. _I'm going to be alone with him a lot. _While something about that made her wary, another part of her, a part she was trying to ignore, was excited about it. Being Hermione, and therefore eminently reasonable, she told herself she was just happy to be with someone who was kind of a friend. She wouldn't have to wait for news of the war alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 - Love and Lockdown**

That evening when the house was quiet and empty, Draco and Hermione sat in the library searching for books that might help him get rid of the Dark Mark.

After several hours of research, Hermione put her book down. "Draco? What happened after you left the school that night of the attack? I mean, why didn't Voldemort kill you right away? If you don't mind me asking..."

He looked up from his book. She could see pain in his silver-streaked eyes. "Well, when I left with the other Death Eaters, they brought me straight to the Dark—I mean, to Voldemort. He told me he'd be gracious enough to overlook my shortcomings and give me a little time to reflect. He said that when he felt I'd had enough reflecting, he would surprise me with a little something special. Then he had me put in that old house with three Dementors torturing me day and night."

He took a breath before continuing. "The night you found me, Bellatrix had sent the Dementors away so she could deliver Voldemort's surprise. She handed me a newspaper." He paused for a second, remembering it all. The pain in his eyes made him look numb. He cleared his throat and continued. "Before the night of the attack at school, I sent an owl to my mother hinting that something big was about to happen. I told her to pack a few things and hide somewhere just in case. My father had acquired a lot of property over the years, and I think she was hiding at one of the estates we never used. She must have been hiding at one of those places for that entire year."

"With his son being punished for failure and his wife on the run, my father was threatened with death. He probably found Mother himself and turned her over to Voldemort, trying to get back into his good graces." He took a shallow breath, and Hermione could see the determination in his face as he tried to ignore the pain. "I killed Bellatrix for what she did to my mother, above all else." A moment of silence passed. "My father must be on the run, too, and if none of you guys get him, I'll go after him myself." The last sentence came out in a quiet, pained, but determined rush.

Hermione took their books and laid them on the table. She got up and sat down next to him; gently she took his arm and put it around her shoulders, and slipped her own arm around his back.

Draco was shocked by her actions, but he didn't move. He couldn't help but love the feel of her warmth next to him, surrounding him. Someone was actually comforting him, reaching out to him, and it felt wonderful.

After a few minutes she leaned over and picked up the books, handing his back to him. They gave each other a quick, awkward glance and settled into searching their books, still huddled together. Hermione was reading a book called _Magical Marks of the Ages, _Draco a book called _Mysteries of Magic Unknown_.

After thirty minutes or so had passed, she let out a gasp. "Draco, listen to this!" He looked over her shoulder as she started to read aloud:

"_Not many scholars have studied the makings and mysteries of the 'Flesh Calling Mark.' How to create it is still not known, nor is the identity of the person who invented it._

"_The 'Flesh Calling Mark' is a mark that one creates as a way to communicate with others. The only recorded usage of such a mark was in 1743 by a dark wizard by the name of Devon Larne. He was caught after one of his followers became frightened and turned informer against him. _

"_It seems Mr. Devon had convinced three of his friends to join him in his evil plans, and in so doing they allowed him to brand them with the mark as a way to communicate with each other. Once captured, he was questioned in hopes of understanding how to create and remove the mark, but the authorities never succeeded in getting Mr. Larne to reveal his secrets._

"_In the two months' time during which they questioned him, the authorities noticed something about him that they could only assume to be a major factor in the making of the mark: he was never loved by anyone in his life, and in turn loved no one but himself." _

Hermione looked up at Draco when she had finished and smiled brightly. "That's it! I can't believe I never thought of it before. Harry told us about all the Pensieve visits—about how Voldemort was never loved, and that that was most likely what led to his evil uprising. Love is all you need! We just need to research it a bit more to find out what kind of love, and how strong. Maybe a love potion could even work!"

He smiled at her and gave her a tighter hug. "A love potion? I mean…well, I guess you could lock me up somewhere until it wore off. We could see if it would work that way."

They both smiled at each other and agreed to spend the next day reading books on love and love potions, and questioning any of the senior Order members who might be able to take a few minutes to help.

They both went to sleep that night feeling a little better. They were confident that they could get rid of Draco's Mark. Hermione was so excited about helping him create a new life she couldn't sleep. She threw on a robe and crept down past Draco's room to the library. After selecting a few books on love and potions, she started quietly back to her room.

As she passed Draco's door again, she heard him cry out. Having her wand with her, Hermione unlocked the door and rushed to the bed to wake him up from his dream.

The moment his eyes opened he screamed, as if the demon from his sleep was in front of him still. "Get away from me!"

"Draco, its okay. It's me, Hermione. You were having a really bad dream." She waved her wand to light the candles and walked to the bathroom across from his room, returning with a cold, damp washrag.

He was completely drenched in sweat from the fitful dream. He took the towel to wipe his face and neck and smiled his thanks.

Hermione sat there for a few minutes, allowing him to adjust to the light and even out his breathing. Then she asked, "Are you going to be okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

Dropping his eyes, too ashamed to look at her, he replied, "Every night it's always the same nightmare, but I can't really remember it when I wake up."

"Do you think being alone in here makes it worse? Maybe you should sleep in my room." His head shot up at that and she quickly replied, "No, I don't mean _that! _I could transfigure a second bed. If being with someone doesn't help keep the nightmares away, I could at least be there to wake you if it came back."

Draco was once again awed at how comforting and friendly she was being. "What will the others say? What about my room being locked to keep me from escaping? I mean, would they even agree to it?" he asked, even as his face lit up a little.

She stood up with a determined look on her face. "When you came here, I promised to be responsible for you, to watch over you night and day, and that's just what I'm going to do! I'm sure they'd agree that part of 'watching over you' means helping you adjust to your new life. Letting you be tortured by horrific dreams that haunt you every night and not doing anything about it would mean I'd failed. You need a friend, and as your friend and watch guard, I'll do whatever is needed."

Slightly winded, she continued, "So _do_ you want to share my room? I mean…there'll be rules, of course. I'll have to take precautions, locking the door and casting a spell so you can't touch my wand, and so forth—and of course we have to wear proper pajamas and such—" The last was said with a slight blush, Hermione having only just noticed that Draco was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

He hesitated at first and then finally replied, "If you're sure you mean it,then yes—I want to share your room." He smiled weakly. "It'll be nice having a friend nearby, but let's tell Mr. Weasley or Tonks about it first. I'd feel more comfortable letting them know and making sure they're fine with it."

She smiled at him. "Perfect. Te'll tell them in the morning, as soon as they get here."

After saying good night to each other, she left his room, locking it on her way out. It was a while before either of them fell back to sleep that night. They might soon be sharing a room, and thinking about it made both of them feel awkward, and a little nervous.

Hermione and Draco waited all morning to talk to Mr. Weasley or Tonks, but neither they nor any other Order members appeared. This started to worry them. Someone always came back to the house eventually, even if it was only to check in or to grab a quick meal.

Suddenly Hedwig flew in the window, carrying a briefly scribbled note. It read:

_Initiate the LOCKDOWN. Be careful and keep your wand with you at all times. Give Draco his wand as well. Stay together at all times. Do not leave the house. Someone will contact you when possible, but remember to be cautious even then. Be safe! A.W._

Hermione looked over at Draco, who had read the note over her shoulder. Hermione went into action immediately. "_Tiny? Lucky!_"

The two house-elves instantly appeared before them, and Hermione wasted no time giving them orders. "Emergency precautions are to begin _now_. Lock the whole place down! Hurry!"

"_Accio _Draco's wand!" The wand flew through the wall and into her hand. She tossed it to him. "_Accio _Members' File Box!" It was the box that had lists of all the tips, meetings, plans and all of the members' names and anyone else that was at all involved with the Order. She immediately threw it into the fire in the kitchen to destroy it.

"Draco, do you know the shield charm?" He shook his head. Hermione demonstrated. "You wave your wand at the object— like this. We need to shield all of the doors, windows, and fireplaces. You say, '_Permento Protego!_' to cast the spell. Try it on the window Hedwig just flew in from."

Draco waved his wand as she had shown him and uttered the incantation. A light glowed for the briefest second around the window and then went out. Hermione took a piece of bread off the counter and threw it at the window, and it instantly ricocheted back at her with violent force.

She ducked out of the way, "Great. You start up in the attic. I'll start down in the cellar. Put out all of the fires in the fireplaces as you go; then shield those as well. We've got to hurry!"

With that they hurried away to seal the whole house, growing increasingly worried as they worked from room to room. When they were done, they met on the stairs.

"Do you think a battle is going on? Is that why they sent the letter?" Draco asked as they walked toward the library.

Hermione glanced at him."When you first join the Order, you're put through drills and made to remember things like this, the lockdown. It was agreed that when the final battle started, or was about to start, whoever was at Headquarters at the time would initiate the lockdown immediately when notified. So yes, I imagine this must mean it's begun, or is about to.

"In the mean time, we can't sit here and worry over it. Even with the precautions in place, we have to be prepared for anything. While we guard the place, we also need to be prepared to help members who may come back here with injuries. So here—" She handed him a book of healing spells and potions.

They went back to the kitchen. Hermione pulled out several cauldrons and lit wood-proof fires under them along the kitchen table. She also pulled out the store of potion-making ingredients kept at Headquarters. Together, they both started to work on various potions, creating a stockpile.

They made Blood-Replenishing potions, Burn-Healing pastes, and Draught of Peace to calm the injured long enough to treat them. They also made Murtlap Essence to calm pain and heal wounds, as well as a Wound Cleaning potion.

As they worked, Draco asked her, "Why can't the injured just go to St. Mungo's?"

A stony look showed on her face as she answered. "Well, the Ministry hates the fact that we're stepping in to fight. They want to control the 'good' side of the war and thinks we're only a hindrance. All they care about is their appearance to the public ever since their huge mistake back in our fifth year when they ignored our warning that Voldemort was back. Really, it's _we_ who are helping the cause, and the Ministry who are the hindrance! If we took our injured there, they might be arrested. The Ministry know that the Order exists, but not who's in it. They've hinted throughout all the departments at the Ministry that anyone caught working for the Order will be arrested for interfering in the Ministry's progress."

Draco looked at her. "They're really stupid if they think they can fight this war being overly cautious and discussing it in committees." Hermione nodded her head in agreement. He asked, "How will they contact us?"

She pulled out her two-way mirror. "By now, Tonks would have put her two-way mirror in a safe place that all the members know about. When they think it's safe, someone will call me through it. We have secret questions and answers, several of them. We made them up and remembered them for when this happens, just in case a Death Eater tries to use a Polyjuice potion to find us. Even then we're to pay close attention to the person so we can recognise if they're speaking the same way as usual or if they seem different."

After a few hours they ran out of ingredients for the potions they needed, so they stored what they had made in an easily accessible cupboard. They were sweaty and dirty from making the potions, so they decided to take quick showers.

Afterward they went into the billiards room to play chess, hoping to distract themselves from the tension of waiting to hear something. Midway through the game, Draco noticed that Hermione was really quiet. Looking closer, he was taken aback to see tears running down her pale cheeks.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

Flustered, she wiped the tears on her sleeve and looked at him. "No, I—it's just that I haven't really let myself think of my parents much. I told them at the end of our sixth year about everything that was going on in the Wizarding world. They were angry at me at first for keeping it from them and for my involvement in it. After they cooled down and we discussed it, they said they were proud of me for standing by Harry and Ron, and that they couldn't let their fear for me get in the way of a friendship like that, or of being on the side of right and good. They told me to just keep them informed.

"When I graduated, I told them I was going to join the Order. They told me to stay in touch and stay safe. With everything happening so quickly, I haven't even had time to visit them. And now they're gone, and I—" She couldn't go on.

This time it was Draco who walked over and put his arm around her, awkward as it was for him to do. While they sat there, her head on his shoulder, she cried. Draco felt a powerful feeling overcome him: a need to protect her, something he had never felt for anyone but his mother. As he contemplated that, he realised that he was starting to like Hermione as more than a friend.

He handed her a tissue and looked at her face. She didn't notice him staring; her own gaze had dropped to the floor while she let his comfort ebb the pain away. Looking at her now, he remembered the morning after he had arrived at Headquarters. He'd noticed as she was cooking and humming how beautiful she was. He guessed that through all those years when he had let himself hate her so pointlessly, he hadn't realised how she'd grown more beautiful every year. He also remembered how she had acted without hesitation when she'd got the letter from Mr. Weasley, how confident and determined she was at that moment.

_I'm a moron. I don't deserve her, no matter how much I change_, he thought morosely.With that sad thought in mind, he decided, _I should just be thankful that she's willing to be my friend. I can't let anything ruin that, even my growing feelings._

A/N: HERE IS THE UPDATED VERSION OF CHAPTER 4. I WILL BE SUBMITTING THE UPDATED VERSION OF CHAPTER 5 TOMORROW, AND SOON YOU GUYS WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO READ CHAPTER 6! THANKS FOR THE WAITING; I'LL KEEP YOU INFORMED WHEN THE UPDATES HAPPEN! (EMAIL ME YOUR NAME IF YOU WANT TO BE EMAILED EVERYTIME "CHANGES UNFORSEEN" IS UPDATED!) SPECIAL THANK YOU TO CYNTHIA…YOU'RE AWESOME!


	5. Chapter 5

-1CHAPTER 5- Dreams and Deals

They had started to doze off a little when Draco noticed that Hermione was shivering a bit. He knew the room was a little cold and that they couldn't use the fireplaces. "Hermione, I suggest we go ahead and share a room. We don't know how long it will be till someone contacts us, and we need to stick together anyway. That ok with you?"

She smiled and nodded in agreement while she hugged her arms to her chest, still cold. He stood up and offered her his hand. They walked up the stairs to her room, since it was bigger. "Instead of two beds, lets just make one extra large one. You never know, if someone came into the room, that way we could feel it and hear it if one of us started to struggle…" Hermione suggested.

"Sounds like a good plan to me. Let's go change first and pay a visit to the linen closet. If we pile enough blankets on the bed, we might just stay warm enough. Can't risk being weakened by a cold."

She laughed at his remark. "Sounds like a great plan. I definitely would'nt want to engage in a battle with evil while suffering from a head cold." He laughed too as they walked to the bathrooms to change.

A few minutes later they both emerged, having changed and brushed their teeth. Once they spotted each other, they both tried to act like they didn't notice how attractive they both looked in their nightclothes. "So you found the spare clothes alright?" Hermione asked as she tried to make the rising blush go away. He was in a nice set of pajamas. They were a very dark shade of grey, bringing out the wonderful grey in his eyes. She couldn't help but notice that his cotton tee shirt, was actually a little too snug, showing off the strength of his muscles. _I can't believe my own thoughts. I can't go there, I won't,_ she said to herself.

While she helped him grab plenty of blankets, struggling with her own thoughts, he was arguing with himself as well. She was dressed in a silk pair of pajamas the color of a dusty rose that clashed in the best way with her brown hair and bright brown eyes. _How am I going to resist this, I can't lose her friendship. I have to keep it in mind, FOCUS! _Draco screamed to himself.

As they went in the room Hermione transfigured her bed making it eight feet long, and 8 feet wide. After piling the extra blankets on and making sure that their wands were safely in reach, they climbed under the covers. Just as they really settled in and were about to drift off to sleep, they both heard two huge pops. Both reacted with stealth, grabbing their wands and pointing them to the end of the bed. Tiny and Lucky both ducked as spells flew over their heads. "You scared us half to death!" Hermione squealed. The house elves both looked nervously at Hermione and Draco.

Tiny spoke up as Hermione and Draco lowered their wands. "We just wanted miss and sir to know we is done with the lockdown spells. Every inch of the manor is covered. No one is being able to Apparate in, and if someone is trying to, or is trying to blast any walls or doors or windows, an alarm will sound very loud. And they is being shocked painfully with the force that is surrounding the manor. So sorry to be scaring the miss and sir, we is so sorry…" Draco looked them over and suppressed a remark. He cringed at himself for nearly slipping out a nasty comment. He knew it would take a lot to change himself. He had to change.

Hermione smiled at them. "Thank you both for helping us with the lockdown. We're sorry for nearly hurting you; you just gave us a fright. Why don't you get yourselves some rest, and please stay together. You remember the lockdown precautions, right?"

Lucky spoke up this time. "Yes miss, we is remembering them very well. Goodnight, miss. Goodnight, sir."

With that, they popped out of the room, leaving Hermione and Draco alone again. She looked at him. "Thank you for catching yourself, for really trying to respect them." She smiled at him, genuinely meaning what she said. He was about to reply when she held up her hand to stop him. "I know what you're going to say, and don't. You were that person for a very long time." She grabbed his hand as she continued. "No one expects you to change overnight. It's the willingness to try that shows you are changing. And that is enough for me, ok?"

"Thanks Hermione." He felt embarrassed and happy at the same time. She let go of his hand to his dismay, and they settled in to sleep. They whispered goodnights to each other. She fell asleep before he did, and for a while, he watched her. With great and growing feelings, he fell to sleep. And it was a peaceful sleep for once. But it wasn't for her: she was dreaming of her parents. _They were talking and laughing, and as if their visit were over, she turned to leave by floo powder. As she stepped into the flames and said "The Order's Headquarters," she caught a glimpse as the Death Eaters Apparated into the room and pointed their wands, yelling, "Avada Kedavra!" She started to spin before she could see her parents hit the floor. _

"NO!"****Opening her eyes, she sat up quickly. Draco reached for his wand. Realizing no one was there, he looked at Hermione. He instantly pulled her into his embrace, trying to calm her down as she cried. She was shaking. He didn't ask her what she had dreamt about. He just laid down, pulling her against him, holding her tight. As she calmed down, she looked up to his face, meeting his eyes. He knew from that look that she was thanking him. He reached over and wiped the tears from her cheeks, and pressed her head gently onto his shoulder. "I thought I was supposed to wake you up from bad dreams," she said quietly. He smiled lightly at her. He felt that strong protectiveness over come him, and he held her tighter. His strength pushed the nightmare out of her mind and made her feel safe. As she started to drift off to sleep again, she felt like she never wanted to leave his arms. This time she didn't fight herself or her thoughts. She knew she liked him very much, more than a friend. She just wondered if he could ever feel the same.

The next morning, Hermione opened her eyes to see Draco sleeping soundly with his arm still around her. She felt happy and conflicted. She slowly lifted his arm off her and slid out of bed. She went to take a shower. As the water washed over her, she couldn't get her mind to stop. _I slept with Draco Malfoy! In his arms! What was I thinking? No, I wasn't thinking. But it felt so right! He is changing, I can feel it. But I can't let myself get attached. I'm his friend now and that should be enough, and he would never think of me as more than that anyway. Would he? No, even as a new person, he would probably still want someone who was really pretty and not such a boring bookworm! _Shaking her head at herself, she got out and dried herself.

She was buttoning the last few buttons of her shirt and walking out of the bathroom when she bumped into him. As she started to stumble a bit, he reached out and steadied her, trying to get rid of the look on his face, knowing it was a dead giveaway. He had seen a little bit of her stomach…_ What are you doing? Shut your mouth and stop blushing! Merlin, she looks good, though…What is she doing to me? SHE IS MY FRIEND. DON'T RUIN IT!" _He turned away and walked into the bathroom to get his own shower, a very cold one.

Hermione had'nt even noticed his face or the way he had been acting just then; she was just hurrying to get her shirt done up. She nodded his way as he turned to go into the bathroom. "I…I'm just going to get a little breakfast started for both of us…" She started to hurry away. "TINY, LUCKY?" They popped in front of her. "Lucky, please stay with Draco while he takes his shower. Tiny, stay with me please."

Smiling, Lucky went into the bathroom right before Draco could shut the door. "Miss wanted me to stay with sir. Just while miss and sir are not together." Not used to having a house elf watch over him, he nodded curtly and went about his business.

Downstairs, Tiny was talking to Hermione. "Miss, is something troubling you? Is there anything that Tiny could do to help miss?"

"No, Tiny, but thank you. Just have a lot on my mind with the war, Draco, lockdown: everything is just a mess, a confusing mess," she said as she fried up some bacon.

"But Tiny is thinking that miss is getting along with sir."

She smiled at the friendly little Tiny. "Yes, we are getting along. A little too well almost." She mumbled the last bit…

"What is you meaning miss, a little too well?"

"Never mind, Tiny. I'm just rambling," She said with a smile so Tiny would quit asking a question she didn't have an answer to. Tiny helped her make the simple breakfast.

After Draco and Hermione were finished eating, Hermione fetched the books on love and love potions from her-or _their_-room, and they settled down with them. With ink and parchment, they made notes on things they figured would be worth trying out. After a while, the silence became a little too uncomfortable. "You know, Hermione, we can't try any of these out till _it's_ over. If something happened, it wouldn't help for me to be locked into a room, ready to fall in love with the first person I see…"

Looking up from her book, she answered, "Yes, your right. But in the meantime, we need to find every possible spell and potion to try. Love spells and potions make a person become strongly obsessed with a person, but it won't be like real love. Nothing can create real love, but we need to find the closest thing to it."

He considered her words, and then something came to his mind. "Well, if you are really going to help me, we will have to stay together for a while until we find the solution. We need to decide where we are going to work on this. I mean, we can't stay here when it's over."

She was quiet for a few minutes, thinking this over. _He is right. Where are we going to go, and even after we accomplish that, where am I going to go? _

"Where were planning to live after this is over?" she asked him.

"Well, even though the past memories are horrible, I don't want to give up Malfoy Manor. I'm going to get rid of everything dark and remodel the whole place into a good one that actually feels like a home."

She looked thoughtfully at him. "Do you think I could stay with you for a while then? I don't want to go back to my parents' home. I… couldn't stand it. I'll probably sell it and look for an apartment. If I stayed with you while I handled that business, I could help you find a way to get rid of the mark. And instead of paying rent, I'll help you clear out and redecorate your house. Would you be ok with that?"

He smiled as he said "Ok, you can stay with me while you handle your business. I'll be grateful for you helping me getting rid of the mark. But you would not have to help change my house, and even then I would never take a cent of rent money from you. We are friends now, and it wouldn't be right. Especially after everything you have done for me, giving me a second chance. So, do we have a deal?"

She just smiled. "Yes, it's a deal."


	6. Chapter 6

-1**CHAPTER 6- Hope Rising **

The rest of the day, they worked on finding every love potion or spell they could find. After finding things, they would share it, making a list of what to try first and so on. As evening crept up on them, they went to make themselves some dinner. Neither of them talked much; they were to busy talking to themselves. Unknowingly looking at and thinking about each other, both of them pondered their friendship and how to suppress their growing feelings, convinced that neither of them would be interested in the other. When dinner was almost done, Hermione jumped as she felt her mirror buzz in her pocket. "Draco, the mirror! It's buzzing!" she quickly wiped her hands on her apron and pulled the mirror out. It was glowing bright white. She held it to her face and called "Hello? Anyone there?"

Tonks' face appeared in the mirror. "Hermione, it's over! It's finally over! We need to get to the Manor. A few of us are hurt…"

"I'm glad to hear from you! But I have to ask you: What is my favorite nose?"

Tonks smiled and instantly changed her nose to a pig snout. "Oink, Oink!" Hermione laughed and replied, "Is Mr. Weasley there?"

"Yes; hold on." Suddenly she disappeared and was replaced by Mr. Weasley, whose nose was crusted with dried blood, making Hermione wince a little… "Mr. Weasley, What is your pet name for Mrs. Weasley, and what is your greatest ambition?"

He smiled and answered. "It's Mollywobbles, and my greatest ambition is to find out how elecklicipity works." Hermione smiled at him and Draco.

"Ok, Mr. Weasley. Give us a few minutes. We need to reverse the lockdown." She Turned to Tiny and Lucky. "Go to it, guys. They need to Apparate here. They have wounded!" They popped out of the kitchen, and Draco and Hermione could hear them popping all around the Manor lifting the Lockdown. "Draco, get out the stockpile while I run to get some spare clothes, wash clothes, towels, and linens." They both went straight to work.

While Hermione was gathering the linens and such, levitating it all, Tiny popped in front of her. "All done, Miss! What else can I do, Miss?"

"Please help me set up to treat the wounded…" With that, Hermione went down stairs, calling them back through the mirror. "Ok, house is open, come home!" Members started appearing everywhere… rushing the wounded to couches, chairs, tables etc… Tonks and Mr. Weasley brought Harry and Ron and laid them on the table. Hermione sent questioning and scared looks at them both. "What happened? Tell me everything!" Looking at them, both unconscious and bloody all over, they immediately started stripping their shirts and pants off to take care of their wounds as best they could.

Mr. Weasley started to explain while they worked. "Well, it's thanks to them that Voldemort is really gone, but it was at a cost. We hope they are alright, but we found them like this. We don't know all of the curses they got hit with. But the one that knocked them out was the one that occurred when Voldemort literally exploded. You could feel it for miles, but they were directly in front of him when it happened."

"We are not sure how Harry did it. When they wake up…" he took a shuddered breath and continued, "We hope to know how they did it." They hovered over both of them then, casting healing spells on their broken bodies. Harry appeared to have a broken wrist and collarbone with huge cuts and gashes all over his body. Ron had a broken arm and nose with huge cuts and gashes as well. Hermione started giving them the Blood-Replenishing potions and the Wound-Cleaning potions. Then Draco applied the Murtlap Essence to calm the pain and help with the wounds as well.

Hermione stared at them, hoping they would come to sometime soon while noticing that Harry's lighting shaped scar was bleeding heavily: it seemed like a huge dent was made from it being hit with a force, but still visible as a lighting shape. She cleaned it carefully, putting the Murtlap Essence on it, and covered it with bandages. "Mr. Weasley, what about everyone else. Are any of them…gone? Will they be ok?"

"No one is dead," he said, looking at his son and Harry. "We believe they will come, through."

Draco got Mr. Weasley's attention. "What about my father. Was he there. Did you guys find him and kill him?"

Mr. Weasley told him, "When we gathered together, we began to execute the plan. We set off to destroy that old house where you were found. We destroyed the old Riddle manor. And then we attacked the orphanage. When it was gone, we went to the place we believed they were meeting. We had been hearing more and more rumors of their meeting spot. It was in the woods: remember the woods from the night of the World Cup? Well, they were there. Apparating in, we ambushed them. They were surrounded. They first thing we saw was your father. He was laying on the ground, apparently beaten horribly, and was just lifted from the Cruciatus curse. Once Voldemort looked to see what was happening everywhere, all hell broke loose. Your father somehow disapparated, but I doubt he will live, as badly as he looked. He has no one to turn to for help." He patted the pale faced Draco on the back. Draco looked a little relieved, and Mr. Weasley continued. "Luckily, we had an advantage, having wiped out most of the Death Eaters, leaving it two to one favoring us. We battled for what seemed like a few hours, taking them down, as some of us fell injured, too. We were down to the last two, Amycus and Fenrir. And just as we stupefied them, preparing to kill them, Harry destroyed Voldemort, sending out the shockwave that knocked us all to the ground. After killing Amycus and Fenrir, we gathered the injured together and went to find Harry and Ron. They were like this when we found them." They all looked down at Harry and Ron: their color looked a little better, and the wounds were all healed as best as they could do, and they were bandaged heavily.

Hermione smiled. "It's over, really over!" She couldn't help it; she ran to Tonks and gave her a gigantic hug, doing the same to Mr. Weasley. Hermione, Tonks, Mr. Weasley and Draco walked out of the kitchen, having done all they could for Harry and Ron. They went around the sitting rooms, checking if anyone needed any more help. Everyone was alive; they would heal, it seemed. They all hugged and smiled, crying in relief and happiness that Voldemort was gone forever.

Mr. Weasley started a fire in the sitting room closest to the kitchen and put a little floo powder in it, stuck his head in, and summoned the Minister of Magic. Mr. Scrimgeour appeared moments later, his wand out, with several of his loyal Aurors armed and waiting as well. They lowered their wands and they took in the scene around them: people hurt, unconscious, and being healed everywhere. "You summoned me. How dare you, Weasley! What in the name of Merlin is going on here?"

Mr. Weasley smiled at him. "Well, Rufus, the war is over thanks to the Order of the Phoenix and no thanks to you. HE is gone. Many of us are injured but alive. The Death Eaters are dead. You can find their bodies strewn all over the forest where the Dark Mark had appeared at the Quidditch World Cup a few years ago."

Rufus looked at him, not believing him. "Merton, Datson, go check the woods now!"

He stared at Mr. Weasley for a few moments till he spoke once more. "Where is Voldemort's body, and where is that Potter boy?"

Mr. Weasley advanced on him, anger evident all over his face. "How dare you give Harry Potter such disrespect? He killed Voldemort. You should be bending on knee, thanking him!" Steadying his voice a bit, he continued. "Voldemort simply exploded; however, Harry Potter killed him. We won't know until he wakes up. When Voldemort was killed finally, there was a massive shock wave. And then he was gone. HE IS GONE, no thanks to you. Now, we will be transporting our injured to St. Mungo's at once to get better care. We will set up guard around Harry Potter and my son Ron, who fought by Harry's side. NO ONE will be arrested. You should spread the word to the wizarding world at once, letting them know about this great victory. Those of us who are willing and well enough will need all the help we can get to get rid of the Dementors: they are in hiding, but we have a good idea of where they are. And you should inform the Muggle Prime Minister as well. Oh, and send out all the Magical departments. We need to cover up all the war damage so we don't attract the Muggles' attention." Hermione, Tonks, Draco, and any of the other conscious members started to smile and suppress laughter at Rufus's face, turning red with anger.

"NOW SEE HERE! YOU WILL NOT TELL THE MINISTER OF MAGIC HOW TO RUN THINGS, ESPEACIALLY WHEN YOU ARE CLAIMING SOMETHING AS RIDICULOUS AS THIS!"

Right then, Merton and Datson Apparated in front of Rufus, ecstatic looks on their faces. " Minister, Sir, It's true: they're all dead, and we found this!" Merton handed Rufus a broken wand, unmistakably Voldemort's. His face still burned. He was too proud to say he was sorry. He disappeared with Merton and Datson in tow.

The members laughed, none of them wanted to forget his face, knowing that they had accomplished what the Minister had not. Hermione walked back to the kitchen as the members started to hug once more, having requested nicely that Tiny and Lucky break out the Butterbeer and Fire Whiskey. Toasts were shouted from everywhere and from everyone as they started to celebrate. Draco had followed Hermoine, and he was leaning against the wall, watching her. She felt his presence, and without looking first, she ran to his arms, knowing he was there. He held her tight, telling her not to cry; it was over, and Harry and Ron would be fine. They held each other for a while, basking in this wonderful moment. They knew that everything was new, changed, and hopeful.

The next day, as people woke up and started making some food, those who had families in hiding summoned them to celebrate. They all started to arrange a very massive celebration party, wanting to invite everyone. Around lunchtime, Tiny appeared downstairs with a small pop and a smile on her face. She yelled, "Master Potter and Weasley are awake sir's and miss's! Come see, come see!"

Members everywhere rushed up the stairs to a room with two large beds. They approached the two heros, congratulating them and wishing to know how they did it. Harry looked around, a smile on his face. "I…don't know for sure how. Everything happened so quickly and then I fell back from a force and blacked out." Harry and Ron smiled at each other, both of them getting shakily to their feet, not wanting to miss the Grand Party no matter how sore they were. They were directed to a couch so they could still take it easy and have a good time.

All of the members, their families, their friends and even some distant relatives packed the Manor. Excitement filled the air with everyone laughing and making plans for their futures. Hermione, Draco, Harry and Ron were sitting together in the billiard room, talking about the future while they played a game of exploding snap. "So, Harry, what are your plans now that you don't need to live with the Dursleys?" Hermione asked.

He smiled. "Well, I'm going to live with my real family, the Weasleys, and hopefully, when I'm completely healed, I'll give Quidditch a try to see if I can get on a decent reserve team and go from there." What about you?"

She smiled nervously, giving a brief look towards Draco. "Well, I'm going to settle my affairs and sell my… my parents house. I'm actually going to live at Draco's Manor for a while. I agreed to help him find a way to get rid of the Dark Mark on his arm. And I'll also help him clear out and redecorate his house. He wants to erase the past and start fresh. After that, I'll look for a flat somewhere and get a job; I was thinking of interning at St. Mungo's, maybe training to be a Healer…" Harry and Ron looked to Draco, still not trusting him completely, and worried about Hermione's decision. Noticing the looks on their faces as they looked at Draco, she started to scold them when Draco spoke up.

"I know you guys don't trust me. I have been an evil little brat for as long as you've known me, but I _HAVE _changed." He looked down at his feet as he continued. "I realized when I couldn't kill Dumbledore that I didn't want the life that was forced upon me. I knew at that moment that I was a coward, letting my father rule my life and not standing up for my self. When Voldemort set me in that house with the three Dementors that mentally tortured me for nearly a year, I relived every thing I had ever done to all of you and everyone else around me. And then one day Bellatrix showed up and dismissed the Dementors. I knew then that I had my chance. She handed me a clipping of the Daily Prophet: the article about my mother's murder. I knew then that I was going to kill her. Just by how she looked at me, I knew she was the one who did it. I vowed to myself that after she was dead, I would do everything I could to stop them all, destroy all the evil that had hurt and tortured me and everyone else." Looking them both in the eye, he said firm, " I AM A NEW MAN! I'm no longer an evil puppet. Hermione has somehow found it in her heart to forgive me for my past and to help me build a new life. If you want me to, I'll make an Unbreakable Vow this instant. I am not that person anymore. As long as I have a breath in my body, I will never hurt her or any of you. I hope in time you might give me that chance, though I know I don't deserve it." When he finished, he kept his gaze on Harry and Ron, letting them read his face.

After a few moments, Harry extended his hand. "Hermione is a smart witch. If she is willing to give you a second chance, I guess I will to. But this doesn't meant that I won't be watching you. Ron reluctantly shook his hand as well. Hermione just stared at all three of them, tears running down her cheeks, smiling widely at her three friends.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7- New rooms, New Feelings

As everyone grew tired that night and said their goodbyes, they slowly left the Manor, looking forward to their bright beginnings. After saying bye to Harry and Ron, Draco and Hermione packed her few things she had brought with her to the Manor and sent them to Malfoy Manor. She had asked Tonks earlier who would be keeping the Manor. "Well, Remus and I are, actually. We decided to use the house for another good cause. There are quite a few werewolves out there wishing to have a good life, not to hurt anybody, and to be accepted. We are going to offer them a home here. We will have constant supplies of the Wolfsbane potion for the full moons each month. Hopefully we will be able to really help them." Hermione gave her a smile and a hug, saying good bye. Draco shook Tonks hand, wishing her good luck. They both walked to the fireplace, took out some Floo powder, and stepped into the green flames; with Hermione standing close to him, Draco said "Malfoy Manor."

As the spinning stopped and they both stumbled a bit out of the fireplace, they stopped and took a good look around. The place had obviously been empty for a few months, with light dust on everything and a light musty smell. Draco had already offered Tiny and Lucky a job and also invited three of their own friends to work for him, too. They were asked to please straighten up the two master suites.

As Draco led Hermione up the stairs to her room, she couldn't help but notice the gloominess of the place. "I understand completely why you want to change the place: it's eerie…"

"Yeah, I know, but we will fix that. Thank Merlin you're here for the woman's touch. I wouldn't know how to decorate with style and flair." She smiled, turning her away head a bit to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. They had reached the master suite that she would be staying in. Even though it gave off a dark feeling, with the black and midnight blue decorations, Hermione could tell that it would be a beautiful and grand room once they redecorated it. "Well, this is it. We will definetly start with our rooms first. That way we can feel more comfortable. This door here to our left leads directly to my room." Just then they heard rain start to fall and loud clap of thunder.

"Oh great, a dark room, and I'm afraid of storms," she laughed lightly.

"Well, if you're more comfortable, we can leave the door open between our rooms…" he suggested.

Giving him a thankful hug, she said, "Thank you." He showed her the closet, where her things were already stored, and then her own master bath. It was made of beautiful, white marble with dark blue decorations. There was a large shower and a gigantic bathtub, which could easily be a small pool. "Now that's what I'm talking about…bubble bath here I come." She smiled, and then she blushed, realizing she had said that out loud.

He cleared his throat, trying not to get carried away with thoughts of her naked in a tub, surrounded with flower scented bubbles. "Well, I guess we should get ready for bed. It's pretty late, and I'm exhausted from the party. And a little tipsy from the fire whiskey…" She nodded her head in agreement since they had taken a few shots together. He walked away, leaving her to grab her pajamas and change. When she was done, she walked to the large bed and slid beneath the covers. Just as she was settled and comfy, she heard the rain start to fall harder: the wind picked up, and a lighting bolt struck the grounds surrounding the house. She let of a small scream in terror. Before Draco could even jump out of bed to check on her, she was walking quickly into his room. When second bolt hit, she nearly ran to his bed and lay down. She chose to stay at the edge of the bed, not comfortable with being so close to him (her thoughts were running wild).She turned to him, saying, "Sorry. I don't want to bug you, but I really can't stand to be alone on a night like this…If you have any Calming Draughts, I could take some and go back to my room and then…"

He spoke before she could finish. "You're fine. Stay here."

She smiled at him, blushing, wishing she wasn't such a coward when it came to storms. When a third bolt hit, she jerked and closed her eyes, trying to calm her nerves.

"Hermione, look at me." He held out his arms. After hesitating for a moment, she moved over and snuggled up next to him. He put his arms tightly around her, and she smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder. He acted without hesitation, bending down and kissed her on her forehead, telling her that it would be alright simply from that kiss. At that moment, the storm was forgotten by both of them as they tried to ignore the tingles they felt from his lips as he kissed her. Daring to look up, Hermione made eye contact with him. They stared into each other's eyes. Out of nervousness, she was the first to look away. As he pulled her tighter to satisfy his protective instinct, they both fell quiet, wondering what that moment was about. "Hermione, why are you afraid of storms?"

She glanced back up at him, saying, "When I was six or seven, a really nasty storm hit, kind of like this one. It didn't bug me as much when I was little: I was actually fascinated by the rain and lighting back then. But as I was falling asleep, the wind picked up, and a huge branch from the tree outside my window fell into my room. It went straight through the window and the roof. It nearly crushed me. I had a broken leg and a few cuts. That day, I lost my fascination, and I had a fear from then on." He didn't comment, but gave her a tight hug. They soon fell to sleep.

When Draco woke in the morning, he smiled when he realized she was still in his arms. She had her back to him, but his arms were still firmly around her, holding her, never wanting to let go. He lay there, savoring the feel of her in his arms. He felt her stir, and she lightly started to open her eyes, taking in her surroundings.

She smiled to herself, thinking, _He is still holding me. Merlin, I love his strong arms around me. If only he could like me as more then a protective friend. When he looked into my eyes last night, I thought I saw a spark, a longing. NO silly, you just saw what you wanted to see. GET A GRIP on yourself! _She lightly started to slip out of his arms, hoping he was sleeping deeply enough for her to not disturb him. The moment she tried to pull away, his grip tightened. She turned over, facing him. "The storm is over, so you don't have to hold me anymore, I'm fine now…" He looked into her face; she couldn't read his expression.

"It's ok. I… I like holding you." He berated himself for speaking that thought out loud. All of a sudden, he started to release her. "I'm sorry. We should get ready to leave sometime soon. We should go shopping today and order some new furniture." Without waiting for her reply, he rolled off the bed, rushing to his own master bath. As she slowly walked to her room, she wondered why he did that.

_I am so stupid. Why did I run? I don't deserve her. She was just being friendly. CONTROL YOURSELF! DON"T MESS UP THIS FRIENDSHIP! _

In Hermione's bathroom, similar thoughts were running through her head: _Merlin, you're being stupid. You must be flirting a bit without realizing it. I'm so stupid, I scared him off. We are friends. He couldn't possibly like me. He wants someone who is exciting, not the bookworm I am… Good job, Hermione! _They both took cold showers, fighting with themselves.

They decided to eat in his room once they were fresh and ready. Both rooms had small couches and chairs with a table. They munched on toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Not being able to handle the silence anymore, Draco got her attention. "We should make a quick list of the furniture, curtains and such we need to buy. I will ask to house elves to empty the rooms while we are shopping. If there is anything we want to keep, we need to let them know. I guess we should also hire a painter. Or we could do wallpaper, whichever you think will do."

She looked at him curiously. "Draco, it's your house, not mine. I wouldn't feel comfortable choosing everything, I mean, I can help, but I would feel weird choosing almost everything. What are your favorite colors? What style of décor do you like? French, country, English, Victorian, any idea?"

He considered it for a moment. "I like any shade of yellow or blue. I can't stand anything with gold, bronze, or brass. None of the gilded in gold frames and such. As far as décor, simple but elegant Victorian, or English. French and the like are better for sitting rooms, and dining rooms…"

"Good choices. I like blue myself also. And I can't stand anything goldish either," she said with a laugh.

He smiled. "Well, it looks like it will be easy enough to make it homey. If you're done eating, we could instruct Tiny and the rest as to our wishes. Then we can go spend some of the Malfoy fortune, put it to good use." After talking to Tiny, Lucky, and the others, they left for Diagon Alley, which they were to visit before they would head to Hogsmeade.

They spent four hours scouring the stores, buying stuff not only for the bedrooms, but also for the rest of the house. "We'll go shopping for a few rooms at a time: first you need to see them to help me with planning."

Taking his offered arm as they exited their ninth store, she said, "Sounds like a plan. Maybe we could get started with the Love Potions today while Tiny and the others fix the rooms? We could stop into Fred and George Weasley's shop. They have a line of love potions that are pretty strong. You up for it?"

"Yes ma'am. Lead the way." As they entered Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, they headed for the Wonder Witches display. Picking up a few of the potions, Hermione felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned with a smile and hugged Fred. "Nice to see you! How's business?"

He gave a piercing glare at Draco, answering, "It's great. Business is picking up already now that the war is over. People are enjoying shopping without fear. May I ask what you two are doing buying love potions?"

Draco answered him, not letting Fred's glaring face get to him. "She has bravely taken on the task of helping me get this mark off my arm. We found some info in a book about the first recorded use of the mark. It was concluded that one of the steps to making it, was for the person who bestowed it upon a follower had no love in his life for anyone but himself, and no one loved him. Voldemort was the same. So we figured we would try out some love potions and see if they work. It's worth the try, anyway," he said with a small laugh.

"You're going to let him fall in love with you after feeding him different potions?"

She blushed a little before answering. "No, he won't be doing that. He will give me his wand and then Tiny the house elf will shield his whole study while he is in there, waiting till the potion wears off."

Feeling a little better knowing that Hermione wasn't losing too much of her mind, he helped them buy their products. Hermione hugged him goodbye, and Fred gave Draco a tight but short handshake. When they got back to the Manor, they went to peek at the suites. Both of them smiled with awe, loving the changes: they were cheery, beautiful, and a little bright. Draco escorted her downstairs, and he walked into the study that was once his father's. Taking a look around, he took out his wand and conjured boxes. Pointing his wand, everything but the furniture stuffed itself inside the boxes. He made them disappear. "Well, let's lock me in here and hope for the best."

Pulling out the bottle of love potion, she said, "It says here that its effect will last for four to six hours. Can you handle it that long? I can have Lucky send some food for you…"

He took the bottle and handed over his wand. "I'm not sure what I will want to eat, but it will be nice to have some food delivered." She took his hand and wished him luck. She called to Lucky and asked him to shield the room.

As Hermione exited the study and Draco heard Lucky utter the incantation, he glared at his arm, saying under his breath, "Heres to getting rid of this bloody thing." He said glaring at his arm. He took the bottle, pulled off the cork, and swallowed it's contents in one gulp.

"Have you drunk it yet? Is the mark still there?" she asked through the door.

Draco was hit with a powerful wave of longing. He wanted Hermione: to kiss her, to tell her he loved her. He looked down at his arm, and to his dismay (however slight, since he was feeling so much love), it was still there. "It's still there, darling. Please unlock the door. I have so much to tell you."

She giggled, and then her giggles turned into a fit of laughter.

He heard her laughing, wishing he could grab her into his arms and kiss her deeply, intoxicated with her laugh. "I love you, Hermione Granger. Please, let me out so I can show you how much I love you."

Trying to control her laughter, she replied, "I think I will let you alone and I'll help the elves with dinner and our rooms." Knowing he wouldn't remember much of what happened while under the influence, she left.

Hearing her footsteps leaving, he said, "Don't leave! Please, I need to hold you in my arms. They hurt because they're empty. They miss you!" He heard her footsteps walking farther away, leaving him with more yearning for her touch. _How can I get out of here? I have to touch her, to feel her in my arms as I kiss her deeply! _he thought to himself. He looked around the room, trying to come up with a way to get to her. He tried to Apparate but to no avail. He tried the fireplace but he bounced off of it, not able to get through. Feeling hopeless, he sat down, thinking about his true love.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8 - The Will**

Hermione busied herself helping the house-elves arrange the new furniture and writing things down that would need to be added, mainly the little things like curtains, portraits, and so on. She couldn't help but think over the words that Draco had said after the potion had started to work. Part of her was sad that it wasn't real.

_If only it were true, _she thought_. It's going to be harder than I thought helping him, knowing that each time we're only use a potion, and that each one is stronger than the one before it. Focus. I promised to help him. I'm his friend. I have to help him. I'll just have to ignore my feelings, work hard to get over them, and be happy with this newfound friendship. _

So, trying to concentrate, she looked at her watch, realising that he had at most another two hours until she could have Lucky unlock the study.

Meanwhile, in the study, Draco thought mournfully, _I wish she was here. Merlin, I love her so much. He checked his watch for the hundredth time, noticing that she had left him three and a half hours ago. I hope she loves me. I have to believe that she does. I couldn't stand it if she didn't. I'll just have to prove my love to her. She'll come to love me. She has to! _

He sat there for the remaining thirty minutes, talking to himself, consumed by his feelings. Once the time in the study reached the four-hour mark, he felt the potion beginning to wear off.

Starting to comprehend that he was himself again, he tried to remember what had happened during his "disappearance" under the influence of the potion. He looked down at his arm; the Mark was still there, although it was very faint. It had been faint since Voldemort was gone, but it was still there nonetheless. He thought about Hermione and her willingness to help him and he sighed with happiness. _If only she would love me. Wait a minute_—_the potion has worn off. How can I still be thinking this?_

A new voice in his head answered, _Because this is really how I feel. This will be hard, but I have to remind myself to work to erase these feelings. I can't lose the best thing that's ever happened to me; I can't lose this friendship. It would be harder to lose her altogether, but that's what will happen if I can't get over these feelings. _

He stood up and walked to the door, hearing footsteps coming his way.

"Draco, how are you?" Hermione asked tentatively. "Are the potion's effects gone?"

"Yes, you can call Lucky now, and we can start to plan our next move."

A minute later the door opened, and she smiled in at him. Grabbing his arm, she saw that the Mark that was still there. She looked at his face, still holding his hand in hers.

"Don't worry. There are three more potions to try, each one stronger than the last. We won't stop here; one of the stronger ones may work."

He moved in to give her a short-lived hug. "Thank you, Hermione. We do have to be optimistic."

Pulling away, she handed him a list. "Come check out the rooms. They look beautiful. All the furniture is in place. I made a list of things you should consider."

When they walked through the rooms, he was very happy with the changes. "It feels like home already. Thanks, Hermione. That's two rooms and two bathrooms almost done and thirty-plus rooms to go. There are four wings of the house all together, so we have lots more work to do. Do you want to take a brief look at the rest of the second floor? Now that these are done, it shouldn't be too hard to write a list for each of the other bedrooms and bathrooms up here. They're smaller, very dark and gloomy. We can stick to the same basic kind of furniture we've put in here, but make each one a little different. Each one can have different colours of the wood furniture, walls, and so on."

Taking a piece of parchment from the desk in her room, Hermione said, "Lead the way. Then we should get some sleep. We have lots of shopping to do for the rooms, and planning to do for our next attack on that Mark." They made their way through the thirteen other bedrooms, bathrooms, and the nursery next to the two master suites. After an hour or so, they had a list for each room except for the nursery. Hermione had insisted that he should empty the room but not decorate it, advising him that if or when he got married one day, he should plan out that room with his wife.

They walked together back to the master suites. "Well, the weather is good, so I can sleep in my room from now on," Hermione decided. Saying good night, they both told themselves it was for the best, thinking that it would be easier to get over their feelings if they weren't snuggled in bed together.

The next morning when they were shopping once again for the Manor, thoughts of Lucius crept into Draco's mind.

_Is there any way that he could still_ _be alive? Although Mr. Weasley was confident that he's dead, I can't help but feel worried about him. He was able to Apparate despite his injuries. If he still had his wand, he might have been able to heal some of his wounds long enough to find a hiding place where he could really recover. I must take precautions just in case. I'll have the elves put up the shields, only let them be_ _removed when Hermione and I leave the house or when shipments of the new furniture and decorations arrive or they do the grocery shopping and so on. Nothing can happen to Hermione. I'll stick close to her. Maybe I can convince one of the members of the Order to do a little detective work. I can also put up some security and detection spells around the whole property._

Feeling better now that he had some kind of plan, he decided to keep this from Hermione, not wanting to frighten her. She had enough to deal with with the loss of her parents.

They concentrated on the remodeling for a few days since the next potion they were going to try would take two weeks to make. When they had finished with the second floor, Draco decided to ask Hermione about her parents.

"I don't know if you're ready, but I was wondering when you might settle things. You know, your parents' house and stuff. If you're ready, I can help you. Maybe it will make moving on easier if you take care of it."

She'd been thinking about it herself since the day that the war had officially ended, trying to convince herself to get it over with. Hearing his offer to be there and help her, she turned to him. "Let's contact their lawyer. He's a Muggle, so you'll need to be careful with what you say, okay?"

Nodding, Draco followed her to the fireplace. She said, "Granger family home, London." When they stepped out of the fireplace, she looked around the familiar room. Holding back tears, she went to the telephone to check for messages. There was one, and she played it.

"I'm calling for a Ms. Hermione Granger. Your parents told me weeks ago that you are currently traveling across Europe, but they didn't mention a way to contact you. I would like to offer my condolences for your loss. I hope that when you come home, you'll contact me right away. They left a will, and we need to go over it. My name is Thomas Mason, and I can be reached at this number..." She wrote down the number and called Mr. Mason. He agreed to meet her at the house in an hour. After she hung up, she looked around. The tears fell down her cheeks silently.

"Draco, can you help me pack some things? I need to pack the things I want to keep. After Mr. Mason leaves I can rent a moving truck and put the stuff I'm not taking with me into storage for the time being." He nodded in agreement. After gathering all of the newspapers that lay scattered about her front porch, they conjured packing boxes. He helped her wrap up photo frames and trinkets. She decided to keep all of the furniture for now; she would decide what she really wanted to keep when she eventually rented a flat. Having the first floor packed, they were about to start upstairs when there was a knock at the front door. Opening it, she greeted Mr. Mason.

"So I guess you're planning to sell the house?" he said, noticing the many packed boxes. She nodded. "If you're ready, I can read you the will, and we can get that taken care of."

When she sat down, Draco sat next to her and grabbed her hand. Smiling at his gesture of comfort, she turned to Mr. Mason. "Oh, forgive my manners, Mr. Mason. This is my great friend, Mr. Malfoy." Draco shook the man's hand.

"Well then, let me get started." Mr. Mason pulled out some papers from his briefcase and started to read.

"_This is the will and testament of Mr. and Mrs. Granger. We bestow the following upon our daughter, Ms. Hermione Granger. _

_1. Our home._

_2. Our vehicles. _

_3. All of our possessions in our home including all of our art and jewelry. Some of the jewelry is in a secure lockbox at our bank. We gave her a key years ago for her to hold. She will need it to access the box._

_4. The money in our bank account. _

_5. The inheritance in our savings account that we put aside for our daughter, which is to be released to her immediately instead of on her twentieth birthday as planned, should both of us die before then._

Mr. Mason looked at Hermione over the tops of his spectacles and said, "As of the most recent of your parents' wills, which they updated every six months or so, their savings amounts to a little over fifty-six thousand pounds." He returned his attention to the will.

_6. Our dental practice, which is to be sold to a dentist of good standing. Mr. Mason keeps a file of those we have approved of over the years who would be willing to expand their own practices and offer a reasonable purchase price._

_7. Our vacation cottage located in a small town outside of The Jura Mountains Ski Resort in France._

_If our daughter wishes to sell any of our properties or possessions, Mr. Mason is to help her. He has a list of people, museums, galleries, jewelry stores, and so forth, that we believe to be worthy of purchasing or acquiring these things. If our daughter wishes to donate or invest any of the money we have bequeathed to her, Mr. Mason is to help her accomplish her wishes. Enclosed in this will we have given Mr. Mason letters to our daughter from each of us. He is to hold them until she is ready to read them. _

When Mr. Mason finished reading, he handed Hermione the papers to sign. She released Draco's hand, her own shaking slightly as she signed. "Mr. Mason, I'm staying at Mr. Malfoy's estate for the time being." She gave him the address and told him she would buy a cell phone where he could reach her. "If you'll go ahead and put together a list of realtors for the house and the dental practice, I can go over them and we can make the arrangements. I'd also like to sell my mother's car, but I will be keeping everything else."

She grabbed a pen and paper and started to write a few things down. "These are a few charities I've heard of. If you could check into them and make a list of the ones that take every penny for their cause's and are in good standing, we can arrange some donations as well. As far as investments, I'll need some time to consider those. I'm not sure I want to do that. The furniture and such will be put into storage, and any jewelry that's here in the house I'll take with me for now. The rest that's in the secure lockbox at the bank can stay there until I have a chance to go through it. I'll be withdrawing their bank account immediately."

She paused for a moment, fighting the tears and the tightness in her throat. Then she stood up and shook the solicitor's hand, thanking him for all his help.

Putting his copies of the papers in his briefcase, Mr. Mason said, "Again, I offer my condolences for your loss, Ms. Granger. Please call me with your cell number as soon as you get one. I'll start on the arrangements right away. Good day to you."

After Mr. Mason left, Hermione pulled out the phone book and called a moving company and a storage company. She reserved storage rooms, guessing how many and what sizes she would need The moving van would show up in two hours or so. In the mean time, Draco helped her finish packing and sending her clothes and things that she would be keeping with her to the Manor.

"Do you have a lawyer, Draco?"

"Yes, I do: a nice and very loyal wizard by the name of Stan Levels."

"Do you think you could ask him to check into Mr. Mason for me? Once I transfer my parents' back account into wizard money, I can pay him for his services. My parents never told me who their lawyer was, and I just want to make sure he really is a decent man."

"I'll call him as soon as we go home to the Manor," he promised.

She didn't let herself cry again as she packed the rest of her belongings. When they were done, they waited in the living room for the moving van. Unable to stand the silence any longer, and wanting to distract Hermione and cheer her up, Draco turned and spoke to her.

"Hermione, what's a cell phone?"

She laughed and tried to explain how it was a telephone that didn't have to be connected to the wall. She elaborated when she got a confused stare, telling him about land lines and cell phones that were powered by batteries and satellites. When he still didn't understand, she laughed, telling him to never mind.

When the moving van arrived, everything was loaded up and Hermione followed the large truck, driving Draco in her father's brand-new Mercedes to the storage facility. When the moving van left, she parked the car in a separate storage room and locked it. They walked out of the storage facility and once they were in an alley, sure that no one was in sight, they Apparated back to the Manor.

Hermione was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and bid Draco a good night, needing to recover from this very long day. She fell asleep the minute her head hit the pillow. Draco crept into her room and sat in a chair by her bed for a while, watching her sleep. His heart broke for her; her silent tears and the pain that showed in her eyes all day had not gone unnoticed.

He got up after a couple of hours and went downstairs to his study, where he summoned the house-elves. He told them about his concerns that Lucius might still be alive and the precautions that he wished to take. Thanking them for their help and concern, he watched as they popped out of the study to protect the house.

He then wrote a brief letter to Mr. Weasley, telling him of his concerns and asking him to contact the members of the Order that might be willing to track down Lucius to ascertain whether he was dead or alive. He sent the letter off with his owl and climbed the stairs to his room. Taking one last look at Hermione, who was still sleeping soundly, he left the door between their rooms open and went to bed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Plans and Kisses**

Hermione woke the next morning, felling a little better. She knew that dealing with her parents' will and settling everything was helping her to move on. Plus she had Draco to lean on, which gave her comfort. As she got up to take a shower, she passed the boxes that she had brought with her from her parents' house. She told herself she could go through them later. _Why unpack them now? It's not like __I'll__ be living here. __I'll__ just get a few things out later that I know I need for the time being. I don't want Draco to think I __plan on __mov__ing__ in permanently. He won't want me staying forever._

Draco peeked his head into her room and heard her shower going. When he saw the boxes piled against the wall, it made him wonder. _Is she going to make herself more at home? I wish she would. Even with the Manor becoming homey, I don't want to live here alone. __I'd__ miss her. Maybe I can hint here and there that __she's__ welcome to live here for as long as she wants, even if it's forever. Merlin, that would __be __great!_

They met downstairs for breakfast, ready to get their day started. "I went ahead and sent for some catalogs for the rest of the house," Draco said. "No point in leaving when we have the basic idea of what we want. Once we choose out of the catalogs, the furniture and other décor can be delivered almost at once," he said with an excited smile.

"That's a good idea, Draco! I could keep a better watch on the love potions that way; the next one is almost done. The way the progress is going on the house seems to indicate that your Manor should be good as new in a few days." Hermione smiled back at him, happy that he wouldn't be living with the depressing memories of the past.

"Do you think we should have a party when it's finished? We can invite everyone from the Order and their families. Maybe we can make it a grand ball. Everyone can dress up. Maybe a masked ball! I could arrange for the house-elves to watch over the kids that don't have babysitters. What do you think?" he asked.

"That's an even better idea!" Hermione beamed. "We should go to Diagon Alley today; we can get the materials for the ball, the invitations, and the costumes all at the same time."

He interrupted her, trying not to sound nervous. "No, let's stay here. Like you said, you wanted to keep an eye on the potions. I'll call out for a tailor and dressmaker to come to us. We can hire a party planner to take care of the ball itself. Then we won't have to worry about all of that on top of finishing the Manor and trying out the potions."

With that, they both left the table. While Hermione was finishing the next potion, Draco made appointments with the tailor, dressmaker, and the party planner. When his own owl was leaving, another owl flew in through the study window. Draco gave it an owl treat and hurriedly opened the letter, recognising Mr. Weasley's handwriting.

_Draco,_

_I've__ spoken to a few people, and Remus has agreed to look into this matter when he has time between sessions_ _of__ setting up his special safe-house. I'm pleased to hear that your main concern is Hermione's safety and agree that you should be cautious. Should you detect any sign of him, please let us know. Even if there is only a slim chance of his being alive, it's better to be prepared than caught unawares. Please contact me regularly__ I would feel better if we kept in __close __touch about all of this. Have you mentioned __it__ to Hermione? I know her well, and for her own safety and peace of mind, you should tell her. Be __s__afe._

_A.W._

Draco felt conflicted, uncertain whether he should tell Hermione despite Mr. Weasley's recommendation. She was moving on, becoming happier every day. If he told her, it would keep her from relaxing. The war might be over, but if there was still a threat from Lucius, it would hang over her head every day. It would be his, Draco's, fault if anything happened to her.

He knew that if his father were alive, Lucius would put at least part of the blame for Draco's condition on Hermione. She was the one who had captured him and turned him toward the good side. Lucius would hate her for being a Muggleborn who had caused him to lose his puppet and nearly get him killed into the bargain.

Draco decided to wait a few days. She still had a few things to deal with concerning her parents' will; he didn't want to pile this worry on top of her other ones.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the knock on the study door. Hermione walked in, saying, "I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

As he shoved Mr. Weasley's letter into his desk drawer, he replied quickly, "No, no, I was just looking over some estate papers. I'm thinking about selling some properties and donating the money to some charities. My father gained these properties through blackmail and other means. It's only right that they should be used for good. I couldn't live with the thought of owning things that represent how evil Lucius was."

She looked at him strangely for a second, but decided to ignore the niggling feeling of something being off. "Okay, but let me know if you need help with any of it. I came in here to tell you that the potion is ready."

"Well, let's get to it! I've made the appointments for the party planning, and they're for tomorrow. We both have costume fittings at noon, and then the Party planner will be here at two. I should be back to normal by then, right?"

Smiling nervously, she said, "Well, I certainly hope so. This is a recipe I found in a very old book, and it didn't specify a length of time. Just that it 'lasts long enough to produce results.'"

"Well, hopefully it will provide more than just results," he stated with nervousness in his own voice.

She handed him the potion and started for the door. "Well, good luck, Draco." She walked out the door, closed it, and walked away. She decided she would, after all, fetch those few things she wanted from her boxes. She was just trying to keep her mind occupied, to ignore all thoughts of Draco. _If only...__No!__ I will _not_ waste my time dreaming __about__ things that won't ever happen!_

Draco looked at the door, wishing things were different. _Ok_ay_, time for round two_, he thought, his stomach feeling a bit jumpy.Quickly, so as not to have too much time to think about it, he took out the cork and, as before, downed the potion in one gulp. He felt tingly all over, and for a split second he wavered on the spot.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. _I LOVE HER SO MUCH! Why did she leave me? What can I do to make her love me in return? I should kiss her! That's all I need to do! Kiss her with all of my soul and show her how I feel! _Suiting actions to words, he walked to the door, and to his surprise, it was unlocked.

_She didn't call Lucky to seal the room! I'm coming_,_ darling...I'm __coming_he said in his head, and he started walking quickly down the hall. He couldn't find her fast enough. He went from room to room. When he was done searching the first floor, it struck him where she would be: in her room. He ran up the stairs and down the hall. When he reached her room, he quietly opened her door, and there she was. She was going through a box, looking thoughtful while she nibbled her bottom lip.

_She is so beautiful_. He stared across the room, mesmerised by her beauty, that nibbling on her lip driving him insane with passion. When he was just feet away from her, she looked up, having finally having heard his steps. Her face showed the shock of her sudden realisation that she hadn't had Lucky seal the room. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

She just stood there for a moment, trying to recover from the shock. But she couldn't fight the need that rose in her so quickly; she started kissing him back when his tongue demanded entry. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close, kissing him with all of the pent-up passion she felt.

Draco couldn't have been happier with her response. He pulled her closer to him, until she was flush with his body. His hands roamed down her back, across her hips. He pulled her even closer, and started to walk forward, making her walk back toward the bed.

It was then that her eyes shot open. Realising what she was doing, she pushed him away from her with a force she didn't know she had. He stumbled back, nearly falling.

"Hermione, darling, it's okay. I love you! You must feel the same way; I felt it in your kiss!" He started walking toward her again with his arms open, ready to pull her to him once again. Before she could lose her resolve and let him just go ahead and do it, she pulled out her wand and pointed it toward him.

"Draco, we can't do this! You're under the influence of a potion. We—I—"

"Hermione, you felt it. I know you did!" he replied, swept along by the power of the potion, almost begging her to agree with him.

Unable to say anything more, she quickly yelled, "_Petrificus Totalus!_" Draco dropped to the floor and stared at her, a surprised expression on his face. "_Lucky!_" she screamed. Lucky popped into the room, took one look at Draco, and gasped.

"What has Miss done?"

"I forgot to call you earlier! He took another love potion. I couldn't stop him, and I had to Petrify him! Please Levitate him downstairs into his study and stay with him until the effects of the potion wear off. Check him over for any injuries from the fall!" She looked Draco in the eyes, her regretful, pained expression telling him she was sorry. When Lucky did as she asked and guided Draco out the door, closing it behind them and the door closed, Hermione fell to her knees and cried.

When Draco was released from the body bind, he was also released from his shock. _I know she loves me! Why did she fight it? _"Lucky, let me out of here. I have to make her see reason! She loves me. I know she does!"

"Lucky is sorry, sir. But it's for sir's own good!" Lucky pointed his little finger at Draco and muttered something. Draco stared at him for a second before falling once again. This time, as Lucky intended, he fell harmlessly onto the couch in his study, fast asleep. "Lucky did it for your own good, sir," the house-elf murmured, his expression troubled. "I is hoping you won't be giving Lucky the sack now."

After Lucky had applied some healing and pain relieving potions to Draco's head, he made sure Draco was comfortable. Popping upstairs, he went to Hermione. "Miss, I is putting him to sleep. He will sleep for a long time, maybe until morning. His head is bumped, but not bleeding, and I is putting potions on it for pain and swelling. Is there anything I can be getting miss before I continue watching over the Master?"

Drying her face on her sleeve, Hermione replied, "Thank you, Lucky. I'm fine. Just please don't leave his side. It's my fault this happened, and I don't want you to leave his side again until he's awake and better, all right?"

"Yes, miss. I am going now!" Lucky popped out of the room and Hermione got to her feet. She walked to her bathroom and got undressed. Stepping into the shower, she stood there and let the water wash over her, trying to clear her head. _I can't believe I did that. How am I going to face him? What am I going to say? I'll just tell him I was—__Merlin, I don't know_She let out a little scream of frustration and stepped out of the shower.

_I need to get out of the house._ Drying herself with a quick spell, she dressed and proceeded to the study. When she got there, she knocked on the door. "Lucky? Can you come here for a second?"

Lucky popped into the hallway. "What is Miss needing?"

"I need to go to Diagon Alley; I just wanted to let you know in case you needed me. Please don't leave his side while I'm gone, okay?"

"Yes, Miss. Let Lucky unward the fireplace for you first so you can be leaving. Master had me locking it today," he replied.

"He didn't tell me about that. Did he tell you why he wanted you to lock the fireplaces?" she asked with confusion on her face.

"No, Miss. Lucky is just doing what he was told. You will have to be asking the master that." Lucky muttered a quick spell. "Now, Miss, you is free to go."

"Thank you, Lucky. Please come and tell me if I'm not home when Draco wakes up, all right?" She walked away before he could answer, wondering why Draco would give orders to lock up the fireplaces and not tell her about it. She took some Floo powder and traveled to the Leaky Cauldron.

She spent a few hours shopping happily, never noticing that she was being followed by a man wearing a dark cloak that covered his face. The man smiled grimly as he trailed after her, planning the time when he would introduce himself.

A/N: I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE ENJOYING THIS FIC! PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW LOL HUGS


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N: This is a mature chapter...for readers that are of age...18+! Hope you like... (it was my very first love scene lol)_**

**Chapter 10**

**Apologies and Love**

That night when Hermione got home, she went directly to the study to check on Draco. Knocking on the door, she said, "Lucky? Is everything all right in there?"

Lucky popped out into the hallway. "Things are fine, Miss. Lucky is still watching Master sleep. Master can be waking up any time now, Miss. I made you some food, Miss, it is waiting for you in the kitchen."

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Lucky. I am fairly hungry after all that walking. I'll probably try to get some sleep afterward, but please wake me up when he wakes, okay?"

"Yes, Miss. Lucky will do so." With that, Lucky popped back into the room with Draco as Hermione headed for the kitchen.

Once she was done eating, she headed upstairs, intending to take a bubble bath. _I have _got_ to relax and figure out what I'm going to say to Draco, _she thought to herself. She had spent all the time she was shopping unable to get her mind off the kiss. As she started the water and added the bubbles, she continued the never-ending conversation with herself.

Slipping into the wonderfully warm, lavender-scented bubbles, she asked herself time and again, _Why did I kiss him back? What am I going to say to him? Would he believe me even if I lied to him? Why did I have to give in? Will this ruin our friendship? I don't want to lose him, but how can I face him again and not remember the kiss? How could I have been so stupid as to forget to __have L__ucky __to__ lock the study __door__? Oh, that's right, I was busy picturing myself dancing with __Draco__, holding him close. Him telling me how much he loved me, too. Merlin, you are so stupid, Hermione!_

When Draco woke up, Lucky said he would let Hermione know Draco was awake.

"No, I'll go tell her myself, Lucky," Draco replied. "But thank you. Please, don't disturb us for the rest of the night."

"If Sir or Miss need me, just call. Thank you, sir. There is more pain-relieving potion on that table if you should be needing it, sir."

"Thank you, Lucky." Draco grabbed the little vial and put it into his pocket as he watched Lucky leave the room. _I can't believe that happened. I went too far; with my luck, __she'll__ be waiting around to tell me __she'll__ leaving. I can't lose her, I can't. Maybe I should just tell her that that's how I really feel. She won't believe me, and even if she did, she wouldn't feel the same way. It would ruin everything. No_—_I _have_ to tell her; I can't keep lying. Friendships should be full of trust. If I lie about my feelings, I'm not being true to myself __or__ our friendship. Merlin, I hope she can still be friends with someone who is in love with her, because I HAVE TO TELL HER._

All of this went through his head as he made his way to Hermione's room. When he got to her door, he paused before knocking. Hearing no answer, he quietly opened the door and walked into the room. Looking around, he wondered where she was. Just as he was about to turn and leave, she walked out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a fluffy robe. He clenched his jaw hard to keep it from dropping, knowing he would more than likely drool a little if it did.

She was breathtaking. The bathrobe was a pale blue with fluffy white clouds all over. Finally looking at her face, he saw that she was shocked at his presence. "I'm sorry to barge in, but I wanted to speak to you about what happened earlier."

She was still just staring at him, at a loss for words. She searched her mind for something to say in return, something to change the subject. She didn't think she could handle a discussion just yet.

"How is your arm? D-did the Mark go away?" She flushed lightly in the face, embarrassed about the stuttering and her obvious need to take refuge in a change of subject. At her question, he rolled up his sleeve. She walked over to him. Both of them looked at his arm sadly, thinking the same thing: _The damn Mark is STILL THERE. _But, seeing it there, her regret that their second attempt had failed pushed away her fear. She wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Draco. We still have the last potion to think about. Amortentia

has got to work; it's the most powerful love potion in the world."

He hugged her more tightly. "Thank you for helping me, Hermione. I won't give up hope. How can I, when I've got you here cheering me on?" She pulled away from him, but before she could get far, he grabbed her hand. "Let's sit down on your little couch. We need to talk; that is, I need to tell you something." Her face paled, but she followed him to the couch in her room. Sitting down, she continued to look at her feet, too afraid to look into his eyes.

When Draco realised she wasn't going to look up, he reached his hand over and gently tilted her chin until she was looking at him. "Hermione, first off, I want to apologise for what happened earlier. I don't blame you, I blame me." She looked at him with a confused expression.

"But Draco, it was my fault. I didn't get Lucky to seal the room—besides, you were under the influence!" He grabbed her hand again and looked at their hands for a moment, measuring his words. When he finally looked up, there was the faintest hint of fear and longing in his eyes.

"Hermione, I—I love you. I'm sorry, but I do. I wish I didn't, and I don't want to ruin our friendship, but I need to be honest with you. You're the best thing that's ever happened in my life. Ever since you found me, I've come to love you more and more. I'm sorry if my revealing this to you ruins things. I hope you'll give me a chance to get over these strong feelings, because I don't want to lose you!"

She was looking at him with utter shock, and when she failed to say something after a moment, he started to rise off the couch, a look of deep sadness on his face. "I'm sorry, I'll—"

But he never got to finish what he was saying or even take a step away from the couch. Hermione stood up and pressed her lips against his so fast that it took him a second to register what was happening.

After kissing each other till they could hardly breathe, she pulled away just far enough to look at him. Gasping for air, she said, "I love you too…so much." A few tears fell from her eyes as she looked at him, willing him to look in her eyes and see the truth.

"Hermione!" was all he said in a raspy voice before he descended onto her lips again, his tongue asking entry this time. She opened her mouth and her soul to him without hesitation. Her hands wound themselves into his hair, bringing his head closer to her, deepening the kiss. His hands explored her body, loving the feel of her shape. He slowly grabbed her hips, pressing her close to him. Suddenly, he stopped and started to push her away.

"Draco?" She was looking at him inquiringly.

"I don't want to push you, not if you're not ready. And if we don't stop now, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop at all," he said as she gazed into his passion-filled eyes.

"Draco, shut up and kiss me. I can't stop either—and I don't want to!" With that she grabbed his head and pulled him in. She saw him smirk just before their lips met. He started with her lips and slowly started to kiss across her cheek, her neck, until he reached her ear.

He whispered ever so quietly, "I'm going to lead you to the bed, and on the way, I'm going to undress you. Then I'm going to love you." He leaned back after that, looking into her eyes, wanting to make sure he could see understanding on her face before he continued. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. She just smiled, and started to slowly unbutton his shirt. She never took her eyes away from his until she lowered the shirt.

She took her time looking at his well defined chest. She ran her hands slowly over his skin, loving the feel of his muscles. As her hands roamed lower, she briefly looked into his eyes again, blushing before she looked away and started to undo his jeans. She began to kiss his neck, then his chest, as she lowered the jeans over his hips. When they were low enough for him to kick off, he brought her up and started ravishing her lips, not able to take anymore.

He untied the belt keeping her robe closed as he backed her toward the bed. When he had the belt undone, he pulled away from her. He looked at her as he pulled the robe open, and pushed it over her shoulders and off her body.

She heard his intake of breath and blushed at the same time that he saw her in her naked beauty. He looked at her in awe. She slowly hooked her fingers in the waistband of his boxers and slid them off him. Standing up, she looked him over with a growing longing in her eyes. She sat on the bed and started to scoot herself back to lie down. He smiled at her, loving the deepening of desire he saw in her eyes as she looked at him. Slowly he crawled onto the bed, taking his time and kissing her body as he moved. When he was on his side, right beside her, he stopped. "Are you sure?" he asked as his hands roamed over her stomach, touching her lightly.

"Yes," she said. He lowered his head to kiss her again as he covered her body with his. Slowly he maneuvered himself between her legs. Kissing her lips and trailing down her neck, he paused again to whisper into her ear.

"Is this your first time?" he questioned. She was grateful he wasn't looking at her face as a deep blush suffused it.

"It is," was all she said.

"Then I'll go very slowly. If you want me to stop, just tell me. I won't move until you tell me, okay?" He felt her nod of agreement. He brought his face back to kiss her. As their kiss deepened again, he slowly entered her, breaking through her innocence. His kiss covered her sudden intake of breath. He pulled his face away to gaze at her, hating the tear that slid down her cheek. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Are you all right?"

She opened her eyes. "Yes, I'll be fine. It doesn't hurt anymore." To show him how much she wanted him to continue, she kissed him while grabbing his hips and pulling him closer very slowly. He answered her with a deep moan and started to move within her. Moments later she started to moan with him, both of them feeling as if they couldn't get close enough. They both reached the peak, they leaped as one into the abyss, lost to everything but each other.

A few moments later, Draco collapsed onto her, laying his head beside her neck, gasping for air. When he felt he could talk again and wasn't trembling as much, he lifted himself off to lie beside her, still holding her in his arms.

"You are so beautiful. I love you so much, Hermione," he said after he tilted her chin so he could look into her eyes.

"I love you too, Draco," she said, smiling at him, clasping his hand. "How about we go take a bath? I'm a little sore, but I don't want to leave you right now. How does that sound?"

In answer, he got off the bed and picked her up. Before leaving for the bathroom, he muttered a spell and flicked his wand at the bed, Vanishing the telltale sign of her first time. He took her to the bathroom and lowered her into the tub. Filling it with warm water and bubbles, he got in the tub with her. They lay there for a while, holding each other. When she nearly fell asleep in his arms, they got out of the tub and dried each other off. Slipping into bed, they both drifted off to sleep, holding one another, reveling in their newfound love.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**The End of the Mark**

Draco woke slowly the next morning, smiling to himself when he felt Hermione in his arms. He looked at her face, lying on his right shoulder. He thought she looked so beautiful and peaceful in the morning. _I can't believe she loves me __back_, he thought to himself. Thinking of their love for one another made him suddenly think of his arm.

He shifted to look down at it and wanted to weep with happiness. He shook her very gently, "Hermione, sweetie, wake up!" She mumbled a little, so he shook her again. "Hermione, you have to see this!"

She opened her eyes. Seeing the huge smile on his face, she asked him, "What is it?"

He lifted his arm up for her to see. "You cured me. The Mark is gone!" She sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest, and hugged him.

"We did it! I'm so happy for you, Draco." She pulled back and kissed him, both of them tasting the salty tears of joy that streamed down her face. Ending the kiss, Draco reached up and wiped them away.

"I love you so much, Hermione," he said as he took her hand and brought the palm to his lips for a gentle kiss. Looking over at the clock on the nightstand, he gasped and shot out of bed. "We have to hurry—it's eleven thirty and the tailors will be here soon for our costumes for the ball!" he said as he hurriedly pulled on his boxers. "I'll call Lucky to get us a quick breakfast together while we take our showers. Hermione hastily got out of bed as well, grabbing her robe from the floor and pulling it on. Draco gave her a quick kiss before she disappeared into her bathroom.

"Lucky!" Hearing the pop behind him, he turned to the eager-to-please house-elf.

"Yes, sir, what can Lucky be doing for you, sir?"

"Would you please make a small breakfast for Hermione and me as quickly as possible? We have some people coming in half an hour to help us with the costumes for the ball we're going to have. While we're getting ready, keep a watch out on the fireplace in the main sitting room. If we're not downstairs when they arrive, make them comfortable until we appear, and let us know when they get here."

"Yes sir. Lucky will get breakfast for you right now, sir." Lucky popped out of the room and Draco headed to his own bathroom to take a shower.

Fifteen minutes later Hermione came out of her bathroom just as Draco walked into her room, wearing a handsome green bathrobe over silver and green pajamas.

"What do we need to wear for the fitting? Should we get dressed or stay in pajamas and robes since we have to undress anyway?" she asked as she tried to finish drying her hair with a towel. Giving up, she muttered a drying spell and use her wand to finish the task as they both sat down on her little couch and started to eat the small breakfast that Lucky had left on the table for them.

"I think we should stay in bathrobes. We can lead the tailors up to our bathrooms for the fittings since we have those big mirrors in them," he replied.

"Well, I'm going to lock my bathroom door. I want my dress to be a surprise," she said. Just then Lucky popped into the room.

"Miss, sir, they have arrived. I is making them comfortable with tea and biscuits while they wait for you. But they is seeming impatient," he said.

Draco stood up and said, "Please show them upstairs. We'll both be in our bathrooms. Bring the tea and biscuits with you when you show them up."

"Yes, sir. Lucky is going now," he said, and popped back out of the room.

Draco pulled Hermione in for a quick kiss and hug. "Just remember I'm paying for the dress. Make it however you want. I don't care what it costs, okay?"

"Okay. See you in a while," she said before she gave him one last kiss and headed for her bathroom. She Transfigured a pedestal to stand on before the large full-length mirror. She turned around when she heard the seamstress enter the room. Smiling, she walked forward and held out her hand. "Hello, I'm Hermione. Thank you so much for coming."

The lady smiled at her greeting and shook Hermione's hand. "Yes, yes, a pleasure, I'm sure. If you'll please stand on the pedestal and take off your robe? You can leave your undergarments on. My name is Mrs. Lindsey. While you undress, perhaps you'll tell me what style and colour of dress you were thinking of. Then I can produce an arrangement of fabrics. If you're not sure what you want, I have several books of my own designs you can look at."

Hermione started to undress as she described what she wanted. "Well, I was thinking of a formal ball gown. I don't want too much cleavage revealed. I'd like it to have lots of detail. We're going to wear masks, so we need to design one of those, too. As for coloursI'd love to have something that was a smoky blue. Do you have any fabrics of that colour?"

"Certainly! I can produce any colour you want with a special spell. What kind of detail did you have in mind?" Mrs. Lindsey asked as she opened a case and started enlarging bolts of smoky blue fabrics.

Thinking for a moment, Hermione said, "Well, I think I should like the dress to sparkle a little. Maybe with some kind of crystals?"

Smiling, Mrs. Lindsey approached Hermione with a book of designs, a notebook and quill Levitating beside her. "Well, dear, here are some patterns I think you might like. We can tweak any of them to make it perfect just for you, of course. First, let me just write a little note to my husband, Mr. Lindsey. We want to make sure he knows the colour of your gown, so you and Mr. Malfoy will go together nicely. We don't want you to clash," she said smiling. Mrs. Lindsey cut a few pieces of very slightly different smoky blue fabric and pinned them to her note with a simple description of the style of dress Hermione wanted. She then said a quick spell, and the note and fabric samples popped out of the room, presumably on their way to Mr. Lindsey.

Turning back to Hermione, she said, "Now then, dear. Have you noticed anything that catches your fancy?"

Hermione smiled at her and showed her the sketch that she liked most. It was a strapless gown with a beautiful ball-style skirt that was gathered in bunches with crystal jewels. The bodice sparkled with a flower-like motif fashioned from the small, sparkling crystals. The back of the dress had a small extension—not quite a train, but it still touched the floor, and would drag a little behind her as she walked and danced. Hermione looked up and said, "This is perfect! Do you think you can make it in time for the ball? It's going to be this Saturday night."

Mrs. Lindsey, pointing her wand at the notebook as the quill made notes on the dress, said, "Of course, dear. I can have the dress done by Friday morning. I'll deliver it myself, so that we can make any last minute adjustments. Now, let's get the basic structure of the dress going. It shouldn't take but twenty minutes or so and then I shall rush on out of here and get to work. What kind of mask do you want?"

With a thoughtful look on her face, Hermione replied, "I'd like one that covers only my eyes. Maybe you can outline the mask with the same kind of crystals that will be used on the dress."

Smiling at her while making more notes, Mrs. Lindsey said, "That sounds lovely, my dear. What exquisite taste you have." She put the quill and notebook back into her case and started fitting the fabric with her wand. Once the dress was magically stitched into shape, she asked Hermione to take it off.

"Good! Now you can get dressed. I suggest you get a pair of shoes that can be magically dyed to match your dress. I don't typically do that sort of thing myself, but I would be willing to help if necessary. Once you buy them, you can just have your house-elf deliver them to me, and I shall bring them on Friday as well, shall I?"

"I'll do that. Thank you so much for your help, Mrs. Lindsey." Hermione led the seamstress out of the bathroom and they walked into Draco's room. He was just buttoning up a dress shirt, having already changed out of his costume and into regular clothes. Together, he and Hermione walked Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey to the fireplace and bade them goodbye.

When they were alone again, Draco turned to Hermione. "Well, that went quickly. We have an hour and thirty minutes until the party planner gets here. I need to go to Diagon Alley and pick up a few things. Would you like to come with me?"

She replied, "Yes, I need to pick out some shoes. We could split up to get our errands done faster, that way we'll make sure we're back in plenty of time for our appointment with the party planner. Let me go change really quickly, oky?"

"Sounds like a plan. Meet me in my study; we'll Floo from there. I need to grab some funds from my safe." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and headed off to his study while she went to get dressed. Ten minutes later, she walked into the study just as Draco was closing the painting of his mother that concealed his safe.

Noticing her, he walked over and took her hand to lead her to the fireplace. Throwing some Floo powder into the flames, they stepped into the fireplace. Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione and said, "The Leaky Cauldron!"

They started to spin, and moments later they stepped out into the taproom of the Leaky Cauldron and headed to the back wall that led onto Diagon Alley. Draco tapped his wand onto the bricks in the proper sequence—three up, two across—and they walked into Diagon Alley. Promising to meet up in an hour, they headed off to run their separate errands.

Draco went to the post office first. He paid for an owl, and tied the letter to its foot. "Take this to Mr. Harry Potter, please. Don't leave him until you get a reply." The owl flew off to deliver the letter, which requested a meeting with Harry and Ron for tomorrow night.

He then headed for the most renowned jewelry store in the Wizarding world, Nicholas Bindle's Fine Designs. He took a few moments and carefully picked out a set of jewelry with which he intended to surprise Hermione on the night of the ball. The necklace had four princess-cut diamonds that were beautifully matched and framed by round diamonds. The pendant was suspended from the chain by three more round diamonds. The perfect one-carat stones were set in platinum. There was a pair of matching earrings, half the size of the necklace. He asked the salesman to box them while he headed over to the display of engagement rings. Now that he knew Hermione loved him, he never wanted to let her go. He planned to ask her to marry him very soon.

He found the perfect ring moments later. It was a princess-cut diamond with two pear-shaped trillions on the side, set in platinum. Draco asked to salesman to wrap up the ring as well. He walked out of the store and called for Lucky. When the house-elf popped up, Draco handed him the bag. "Please put this bag on the very top shelf of my closet, all the way to the left side. I don't want Hermione to find it."

His mouth a round O of delight, Lucky said, "Oh, yes, sir."

Once Lucky left, Draco headed back to the entrance to Diagon Alley and sat down on a bench to await Hermione. She walked up to him about twenty minutes later, struggling with several awkward shopping bags twenty.

"Did you find everything you needed?" he asked her.

Handing off the heaviest bag to him, she said, "Yes. I got my shoes and a few other things that I needed for the ball." Pleased with themselves, they walked into the Leaky Cauldron and Flooed back to Malfoy Manor.

A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter... I've been busy writeing my other fic, sorry for the long wait... Will try and update more often lol. Please read and review! hugs


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter12**

**Draco's Meeting**

They sat in the sitting room, discussing ideas and plans for the ball. Draco had already sent the house-elves to clear the stored boxes and furniture out of the ballroom and to clean it from top to bottom. They were discussing the guest list when the flames in the fireplace turned green. Standing up, they greeted their party planner.

"Hello! My name is Mrs. Parker. You can call me Shelby."

Shaking her hand, Draco introduced himself. "Nice to meet you. I'm Draco Malfoy, and this is Hermione Granger." Draco led Shelby to a couch and then seated himself next to Hermione on the loveseat. Pulling out a notebook, Shelby looked at them brightly, eager to get started.

"Well, first off, I'll need to know how many people are on the guest list. There's a lot to plan, and it's much easier if we have a head count." Draco passed her a list of names they had put together. "My, my—one hundred and fifty people. Is your ballroom large enough for that many guests?"

Draco nodded his head as he spoke. "Yes, the ballroom can actually hold around three hundred people. My family have been holding grand balls for a couple of generations, but this will be the first one in a long time," he said with a note of pride in his voice.

"Well, with this many people we'll need to have a large, well stocked buffet table. You will need to decide on a a list of food and drinks you wish to have, and have it owled to me no later than six this evening. May I see the ballroom? It will help me get a picture of what needs to be done."

Draco rose and said, "Yes, follow me, please." They went down several large corridors to another wing of the house and approached a set of doors that were fully two storeys high. "These doors on the side are the bathrooms." Draco opened the doors to the ballroom, and Hermione gasped. She hadn't seen this wing of the Manor yet. The ballroom's ceiling was nearly four storeys high, with the most beautiful chandeliers. Facing them was a wall of windows and French-style doors leading onto the terrace. The floors were white marble.

The house-elves had cleaned the ballroom to perfection, making all of the floors, windows, chandeliers, and sconces shine beautifully. Even Shelby seemed in awe of the grandeur of the room.

"Well, I would say that this will be one beautiful ball when we're through with it!" she said, smiling. They spent an hour going over fabrics, table linens, invitations, music selections, lighting, and so on. When they said goodbye and Shelby disappeared via the Floo, Draco walked over and grabbed Hermione, pulling her into his embrace. He kissed her sweetly on the lips before leaning back to look at her face.

"So, do you think it will be a success?" he asked.

"I think it will be beautiful. This ball will be the perfect way to celebrate the end of the war and your newly transformed Manor. Everyone will be able to let their hair down and enjoy the new beginning of all our lives," she finished with a smile.

"Well, I should finish our list for the buffet table so we can send it to Shelby. How about we meet for dinner in a few hours?" Draco slowly, regretfully pulled away from her arms before answering.

"That's fine. I have a few business matters to take care of, anyway. I may leave for a little bit." He looked around furtively and whispered, "We have something to discuss tonight, okay?"

Looking at him with a puzzled face, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

Trying to lighten the moment, he replied with a smile, "We'll talk tonight, I promise." And then he walked away, leaving her wondering what it was that he wanted to discuss. As Draco headed for his study, thoughts of his father spun in his head. _I have to tell her. _

When he walked into his study, an owl hooted from his desk. Walking over to the the owl, he pulled the letter off of its foot and sat down to read it.

_Draco, _

_It seems your father was spotted in France, __so we now know for certain that __he is alive. An Auror f__riend of mine was the one who saw him and nearly caught him last week. I do hope you have told Hermione by now. She NEEDS TO KNOW. I have been getting regular reports from the guards we placed round your estate. I would suggest you keep a closer eye on Hermione. The Auror friend of mine said that __Lucius__ looked fit. We both know your father will come after you and Hermione_—_it's only a matter of time__. All three of us need to get together and discuss this situation__; it is of the utmost urgency__. This owl will not leave until you write me back with a time you __can __meet. _

_A.W._

Draco picked up his quill and wrote a brief reply to Mr. Weasley asking him to join in on his meeting with Harry and Ron that the following night. After he signed and sealed the letter, he attached it to the owl's leg and watched it fly off. _I wonder if Hermione will ever forgive me for not telling her sooner? Merlin, I hope this doesn't ruin everything. _

Later that evening, after dinner, Draco and Hermione sat on the couch in the living room snuggled together. Draco grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Hermione, there's something very important I need to tell you. I hope you'll hear me out before you say anything." She looked over at him, noticing that he was staring at their hands.

"What's wrong, Draco?" She asked, taking her free hand and tilting his chin until he looked at her.

He cleared his throat. "Well, you remember Mr. Weasley telling us how my father Disapparated from the scene when they ambushed Voldemort?" Seeing her nod her head, he continued. "Well, Mr. Weasley and I have been taking some extra precautions until we could find out if he died or not. A friend of Mr. Weasley's spotted him in France last week. We believe that he'll come after me. He may actually come after you ,too." He paused, waiting to see her reaction.

Since he had feared the worst, her response completely shocked him. Grabbing his face in her hands, she kissed him.

"Draco, we _will_ find your father and we _will_ stop him. I promise you I'll do everything I can to help you get rid of him. I promise." He just stared at her for a moment before finally speaking.

"But—you're not mad at me for not telling you sooner?" he asked. Smiling at his bewildered face, she answered him.

"I suppose you didn't want to worry me, since I was dealing with my parents and all. Am I right?" When he nodded she kissed him again. "Thank you, Draco, you're so sweet to me." Then her face grew stern. "But you have to promise to not keep secrets from me, especially ones this important. We'll deal with this together. Promise?"

"I promise, Hermione. Merlin, I love you. You deserve someone much better then me," he said while gazing into her eyes, with all of his love shining in his own.

Smiling at him, she replied, "And I love you, too. But Draco, I wouldn't want anybody else. I only want you, and I always will." With that she kissed him again. This time she didn't pull away but lifted herself and straddled his lap. Draco moaned with pleasure at her unexpected gesture, grabbing her waist and holding her close. She ran her hands through his hair before roughly holding his head still as she very slowly kissed across his cheek, down to his throat. She nibbled and then sucked on his throat lightly with her lips, smiling to herself when she heard the groan of pleasure escape him.

"Hermione, you're killing me," he whispered. She slowly kissed her way to his ear before whispering in response.

"It's a lovely way to die, though, isn't it?" She leaned back to look at him. She smiled evilly when she saw the look on his face. His face held his trademark smirk, which she found even sexier when it was paired with his passion-filled eyes. He kept eye contact with her while he lifted her off of him and stood her on the floor. He smirked even more at the look of confusion on her face and at what he was about to do.

He got off the couch and bent over, grasping her quickly about the knees and throwing her over his shoulder before she could protest. He laughed as he started up the stairs. He held onto her tightly as he took the stairs two at a time to his room. When he got through the door, he kicked the door closed before setting her back on her feet. He didn't give her enough time to say anything before his lips captured hers. They kissed feverishly while he slowly backed her toward the bed. Clothes flew in all directions.

As soon as all of their clothes were littered across the floor, Draco picked up Hermione and wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her like that to the bed, and laid them both down. He pulled out of their kiss and looked into her eyes. Both of them were breathing heavily. He wanted so much to ask her to marry him right then and there, but he couldn't find the words. Before he could open his mouth, Hermione moaned his name like it was a desperate plea. Not able to refuse, he returned his mouth to hers, both of them speaking of their love for each other with every caress. As they reached the height of their passions, they called out each other's names.

The next day Draco and Hermione didn't spend as much time together. They spent most of it apart as they dealt with party plans. Later that evening, Draco told Hermione that he had a meeting he had to attend. After explaining that Mr. Weasley would be joining him on his way home so that they could discuss security, he kissed her and Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. From there he walked into Diagon Alley and over to the designated Apparation point. Thinking clearly of his destination, he Disapparated to meet Harry, Ron, and Mr. Weasley.

When he appeared at the Shrieking Shack, he looked around before following the light to the sitting room. The whole place was dusty and smelly. Walking into the room, he saw that the other three were already there waiting. He nodded to them, conjuring a seat for himself. Sitting down, he took a breath to calm his nerves before speaking.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I called this meeting tonight. It's about Hermione." Making sure that they were listening without interrupting, he went on. "I know you don't like me. We've never got along in the past. I know we've made a truce, though. It's in the name of this truce and my honest intentions that I want to ask all three of your blessings. I want to ask Hermione to marry me."

Harry, Ron, and Mr. Weasley all looked shocked. After giving them a moment to process this news, Draco pulled out three copies of the same folder. "This is my financial statement. I want you to have a good look at it so you know that she would be taken care of."

He sat back and dug his hand into his pockets. "I know this comes as a shock. And quite honestly, I intend to ask her to marry me with or without your blessing. But for her sake, I'm here at least asking for them. Her parents are gone, but you three are still her family. It's only fair that I speak to you." He went silent then, wanting to hear their reactions, hoping against hope that they would give their blessings for Hermione's sake.

Harry was the first to speak. "Malfoy, you're right. I don't like you. And yes, this decision is up to Hermione. But you haven't even given us a chance to see you guys together. We knew you two were friends. But really, we know nothing else for sure beyond that. For her sake, could you at least let us get to know you as a couple before you boldly ask for blessings? We're her family, and we love her. We want to see for ourselves how she feels about you," he said, getting nods of agreement from Mr. Weasley and Ron.

Smiling, Draco replied, "Well, I trust you got the invitations to my ball this Saturday night?" Seeing them nod their heads, he went on. "Well, by all means please observe us to your hearts' content at the ball. I was planning to propose later that night, actually. So take the first few hours and then let me know before I ask her. I'm sure you'll see how genuine our feelings for each other are and will be ready to wish her happiness."

He stood up to shake their hands. "You can keep those financial statements. Mr. Weasley, if you're ready, we can go to the Manor to have that meeting with Hermione." He left the room without waiting for an answer. When Mr. Weasley walked into the corridor, Draco told him they would need to floo from the Leaky Cauldron. They Apparated as far as Diagon Alley, but before walking into the Leaky Cauldron, Mr. Weasley grabbed Draco's shoulder to get his attention. He spoke plainly indeed.

"I understand that you seem to feel strongly about Hermione. But proposing seems a little rushed. Is it not a little too soon? Not to mention that focusing on your relationship might not be the best move right now. You should be focusing on your father. You don't want this blind you to any dangers, do you?"

Draco looked at him a moment before answering. "Sir, I love Hermione very much. I do understand what you're trying to say. I've told Hermione about the situation, and she's aware of the danger. But with everything else that's happened to both of us, I don't see why I should let my father keep us from being happy. He's taken enough of my life. Now Hermione is my life. I want to live it to its fullest, and that includes marrying her. As you are fully aware, I have a large group of guards surrounding the Manor twenty-four hours a day. I've also hired a tracker to help me find him. I have no intentions of letting my love for her get in the way of stopping that monster."

Mr. Weasley patted his shoulder. "Thank you for taking this so seriously. I just wanted to make sure you had your priorities straight. Although I still think it's a bit soon for proposing marriage, that's for you two to decide." With that, both of them walked into the Leaky Cauldron.

Neither of them had noticed the man following at a distance, who had heard every word of their conversation. The man smiled his toothless smile. _Boss is gonna be mighty happy to hear from me tonight! _he thought, and then he Disapparated.

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter... I enjoyed writeing 'The Meeting'...Please Read and Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13- ****The Assistant**

* * *

The next morning Hermione woke early, quietly slipping out of bed. It was Friday, and her dress and shoes would be delivered for her final fitting today. So, trying not to wake Draco who slept soundly with a hint of a smile on his face, she went to her bathroom to take a shower. 

Draco had felt Hermione leave the bed. He watched, peeking out of slitted eyes, as she tiptoed out of the room. _Merlin, __she's__ cute_, he thought. Sliding out of bed, he followed her to her bathroom. He cracked open the door and watched her silhouette as she washed her hair. He almost forgot to breathe as he observed her graceful movements. As quietly as he could, he walked to the shower door and pulled it open. When Hermione felt the rush of cold air, she whirled around in surprise.

"Draco! You scared me," she said as a blush of embarrassment rose up her face at being completely naked.

Smiling, but with passion smoldering just beneath the surface of his gaze, he asked, "Mind if I join you?" After hesitating for a second, she smiled and grabbed his hand. Draco smirked, ecstatic at the thought of snogging Hermione in the shower. They spent almost an hour there, just loving the feel of each other's touch.

After they left the shower, they dressed to go eat breakfast. While they were eating an owl swooped in, nearly knocking over Draco's pumpkin juice. Untying the letter from the owl's foot, he unrolled it. As he read it, he face lost all colour and a look of either horror or fear crossed his features, Hermione couldn't be sure which.

Hesitantly, she said, "Draco? What is it?" He handed her the letter, which was written in French.

_Draco, _

_Il semble incroyable que mon propre fils pourrait être un tel traître de sang. Je croyais toujours que j'aurais un fils qui traiterait sa famille royalement. Le fait d'associer à un sang de boue est trop bas pour un Malfoy. Comment osent vous apporter ce sang de boue dans notre famille à la maison! Savez-le, vous paierez pour trahir le nom de Malfoy. Mais elle paiera bien plus mauvais._

_Le Dernier et Seulement Malfoy, Lucius _

She was about to ask what it meant, since she didn't read or speak French, when she noticed the name at the bottom of the letter. _Lucius. _Looking at him with a horrified expression that mirrored his own, she asked, "What does it say?"

Taking the letter back from her outstretched hand, he cleared his throat and began to read aloud. "It says, 'Draco, It seems unbelievable that my own son could be such a blood traitor. I always thought that I would have a son that would do his family proud. Associating with a Mudblood is too low for a Malfoy. How dare you bring that Mudblood into our family home! Know this: you will pay for betraying the Malfoy name. But she will pay far worse. The Last and Only Malfoy, Lucius.'"

When he finished, he tried to arrange his face to hide the array of horrible emotions he was feeling. _I __can't__ show her my fear. I need to be strong for her and myself_ _both__. I'll show that old fool who the real Malfoy is! _Gathering his voice, he said, "We don't need to worry about his threats. We have vigourous security. I have a man tracking him down as we speak. I won't let anything happen to you, Hermione, I promise!" Rising from his chair, he pulled her out of her own chair and wrapped his arms protectively around her.

She held him tight, resting her head in the crook of his neck. "I trust you, Draco. I know you'll do everything in your power to protect us. But we need to remember that your father was Voldemort's right-hand man. He's a very powerful wizard." Pulling away to look at him, she went on. "Maybe we should cancel the ball. It's a masked ball, after all—the perfect place for him to try and sneak close to us," she said with a hint of fear in her eyes.

Cupping his hands on her cheeks, he said determinedly, "We _will_ have the ball. We won't let Lucius ruin the celebration or our happiness. I'll just add extra security. We can place bodyguards all around the Manor as well as inside the Manor. They can put Disillusionment Charms on themselves so they won't be intrusive. Besides, I wouldn't miss the chance to dance with the most beautiful woman there, for the world!" He smiled at her. She smiled at him and was about to kiss him when Lucky walked into the dining room.

"Please excuse Lucky, Miss and sir, but a Mrs. Lindsey is waiting for Miss in the sitting room." Hermione released Draco and started for the sitting room with a bounce in her step. _I can't wait to see my dress!_ she thought to herself. Draco smiled even though she had walked away without another word or kiss. He was happy to see her so excited. Thinking about her excitement for the ball, he headed for his study. He pulled out a roll of parchment and wrote a hasty letter to Mr. Weasley.

_Mr. Weasley,_

_You need to know that I received a threatening letter from Lucius this morning. When you read it, __you'll__ notice that he is aware Hermione __is_ _living in this house. By the way_,_ the wording is __such that __it seems he may know of my "close" involvement with __her__. This makes me wonder if he or someone he may have hired is following me and Hermione. We need to double the guard __on__ the Manor for the ball. Please instruct the few Aurors that you have arranged to cover the ball to use a Disillusionment Charm so that they don't disrupt the ball. I will be assigning one of my __own __guards to accompany us around, if we need to leave the Manor __for any reason_

_Draco Malfoy_

After finishing his letter, he conjured a copy of his father's letter to send to Mr. Weasley. After attaching both to his owl, he headed for the Manor grounds. He had instructions that needed to be given right away.

Meanwhile, Hermione glowed with happiness. The dress had turned out beautifully. It fit her perfectly, and the colour did wonders for her hair and eyes. She loved the way the crystals sparkled and how the dress twirled when she turned. After thanking Mrs. Lindsey, who had also brought Draco's costume, Hermione dropped the outfits off in their rooms, making sure her dress was carefully hidden.

Walking out of the closet, she heard the cell phone ringing that she had bought. Rushing to answer it, she said, "Hello?"

"Yes, Ms. Granger. It's Mr. Mason, your lawyer. I'm calling to let you know that I have arranged nearly everything for you. All you need to do is filter through the offers for the house and the dental practice. The car has already been sold—amazingly enough, it went for a higher price than it's worth. It was an offer we couldn't pass up. If you're able, I should like to meet with you today to go over the properties and such."

"I can meet you in an hour at the house. Is that good for you?"

"Yes, I'll meet you in an hour. If you're willing, I can have a few of the potential buyers meet us there."

"I guess that will be okay. I'll see you in an hour, then, Mr. Mason." she said, clicking the phone off. She went back into her closet to grab a sensible outfit for meeting the potential buyers. As she was putting on her low heels, Draco walked into the room.

Noticing her clothes, he asked, "Going somewhere?"

"Yes. Mr. Mason just called. He wants me to sign some papers and meet some buyers that are interested in the house. I'm to meet him in forty-five minutes."

Nodding his head, he replied, "I'm coming with you. Just let me change."

She smiled politely and said, "You've already done enough. I wouldn't want to trouble you."

Walking over to her and taking her into his arms, he said, "Of course I'm going. Besides, neither of us should be left alone right now. We'll take a guard with us, just in case. I promised Mr. Weasley that I would take extra precautions."

With a questioning look she asked him, "But how are we going to explain a bodyguard to Mr. Mason without raising his suspicions?"

"Well, we can have him conjure some Muggle clothing. If Mr. Mason asks, we'll tell him...that he's my assistant. Besides, Mr. Mason is under your employ. He should have no reason to question your actions or those of the people with you. My own lawyer did check up on him, by the way. It seems your parents knew what they were doing when they hired Mr. Mason." She smiled at, thankful that he was so willing to help her. He quickly rushed to his room to change, and then they both Flooed to Hermione's parents' house.

As Hermione hung up the phone after arranging the meeting at the house, Mr. Mason heard a strangled noise from his outer office. Rising from his chair to see what was wrong, he opened the door and looked suspiciously at his assistant, Alfred. "What's going on out here?" he demanded, noticing how Alfred tried to hide the fact that he had hastily closed the closet door and was straightening his tie.

"Nothing, sir, I was just putting away my coat." Mr. Mason looked at him for a moment before dismissing the thought that something wasn't right. He supposed it was silly to think that his overly loyal, suck-up, perfectionist assistant was up to something bad.

"Well try to keep it down from now on. I can't think how embarrassed I would be if a client were here with that ruckus disturbing a meeting. We'll be leaving shortly to meet Ms. Granger. Get the files all ready, will you?" Without another word he went back into his office. 'Alfred' crept over to the door to make sure Mr. Mason was busy. When he heard Mr. Mason making another phone call he hurried over to the closet and pulled it open after releasing the locking spell. He quickly grabbed the body of the real Alfred as it started to fall to the floor.

Turning his head toward the other man in the closet, he scowled as he said, "You fool! I'm here for one second and already that dumb-arse Muggle thinks something is wrong. Mr. L told us to not screw this up!"

Stepping out of the closet, the second man replied, "You try holding dead weight for that long without so much as a peep. Besides, the Muggle went back to business. The boss will be happy when we tell him that we won't have long to wait to get close to that Mudblood." He smiled at the thought of delivering the news himself.

"Never mind," said 'Alfred'. "Just get that man locked up, and tell Mr. L that I will personally be giving him a report tonight after I meet with the Mudblood. Get going!" With that, the second man grabbed the unconscious Alfred, and Disapparated.

This job was easier then he'd anticipated. The false Alfred searched and found the papers that he assumed Mr. Mason wanted. He was all set. He couldn't wait to get his very generous payment after this job was done. He smiled to himself at the thought of what was waiting for that Mudblood.

* * *

**_A/N: I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS UPDATE... I JUST SENT CHAPTER 14 TO MY BETA SO ANOTHER UPDATE TO SOME SOON! HUGS _**

**_PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ;p_**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 - Slidrian**

Hermione and Draco were sitting on the creaky old porch swing when Mr. Mason arrived. Their bodyguard, Simon, was standing behind them with a briefcase, wearing a suit. Hermione got off the porch swing and greeted Mr. Mason, wondering who the young man was who stood behind him. "Mr. Mason, thank you for your help in all of this. It's a relief to get it all over with. I'm sure you remember Mr. Malfoy."

They shook hands. Draco addressed him. "And this is my personal assistant, Simon Monietly." Those two shook hands as well with brief nods. Mr. Mason turned to look behind him to introduce his own assistant.

"I've brought my own assistant along as well. This is Alfred Pensant."

Alfred walked forward to shake everyone's hands, trying not to grimace as his hand touched the "Mudblood's" own hand. Mr. Mason went on.

"Well, if we can take a seat here on the porch, we can get this over with. I called a few of the interested parties, but they were unavailable at such short notice. But my assistant has all of their information." They spent the next hour going over the offers for both the house and the practice. Finally, satisfied with buyers for each, Hermione signed the papers. She tried to ignore the pain of letting go of her parents' home and business, but she knew it was for the best.

"Alfred" had spent the entire time trying to sneak in comments to find out what Hermione's plans were for the future. He was concerned about what Lucius would say about his lack of progress, since she hadn't divulged anything of value to him. Simon eyed Alfred warily. He thought there was something not quite right about the fellow. While Hermione signed the last of the papers, Simon pulled Draco aside.

In a whisper that only Draco could hear he mumbled, "Something isn't right 'bout that Alfred fellow, sir. After we leave here, I suggest you go straight back to the Manor. I want to follow him, see if I can put my finger on the problem. Is that okay, sir?"

Draco nodded in agreement, going straight to Hermione's side. He put his hand protectively on her shoulder, keeping the other in his jacket pocket where his wand was. Hermione stood up, gathering her copies of all the legal papers. "Thank you again, Mr. Mason. We must be going." She shook his hand and escorted him off the porch. When he pulled away in his car with his assistant, she turned around to look at the house. Memories from her younger years flooded her mind, bringing a tear to her eyes.

"Hermione, love. We need to leave. Simon has to attend to another matter, so we shouldn't be left alone. Besides, we have to attend to all of the finishing touches for the ball." She shook her head to clear away the sad thoughts. Putting a smile on her face she grabbed Draco tightly as he Apparated them both back to Malfoy Manor.

* * *

As soon as they were gone, Simon Apparated to the location his tracking spell led him to. He arrived in the parking garage where Mr. Mason's office was, his Disillusionment charm allowing him to safely and quietly follow Mr. Mason and his suspicious assistant back to their office. Simon slipped into the office just before they closed the door and found a corner beside a ficus tree from which to stand and observe. 

"Alfred, file the Granger papers for me. Oh, and I shall be leaving the office early today. Make sure to lock up after you finish your work," Mr. Mason said as he walked into his office to straighten things a little before leaving. Simon watched Alfred closely, becoming more suspicious by the minute as Alfred kept peeking into Mr. Mason's office to see if he was ready to leave. Simon watched as Mr. Mason said goodbye to Alfred and exited the office. Alfred stood quietly, listening to Mr. Mason's steps as he descended the stairway to the parking garage. Once satisfied that he had really gone, Alfred shut and locked the door. Simon stiffened as Alfred pulled a wand out of his pocket and waved it, erasing the glamour that had been on him. What replaced the clean and well-dressed Alfred was the complete opposite. There stood a wizard in worn robes, his hair scraggly and dirty.

He pulled a two-way mirror from his pocket and said, "Mr. L? It's Xander. I just met with the Mudblood. You told me to contact you with a report." Simon clutched his wand tightly, preparing to apprehend Xander as soon as he finished this conversation.

Lucius's face appeared in the mirror, and with a very stern voice he questioned Xander. "So—what good news do you have for me, Xander?"

Xander gulped before admitting, "Sir, I don't have any news for you. I tried to slip in a few questions, to see what the Mudblood was up to, but she didn't say anything that would help you, Mr. L."

Appraising Xander with an unhappy look, Lucius replied, "I see. Very well. You know what you need to do now, so get to it. Oh, and by the way, if you fail me again, you'll wish you'd never been born, Xander." After that menacing threat, Lucius's face disappeared from the mirror.

Simon debated what he should do. If he was to capture Xander now, he could interrogate him for possibly useful information. If, instead, he let Xander go and followed him, Simon could possibly be led straight to Lucius, or even lose Xander altogether.

While Simon debated what he should do, Xander performed a few spells to make it appear as if he had done Alfred's work. Before he could Disapparate, he was hit with a spell and fell unconscious to the floor. Simon grabbed the unconscious Xander's hand and Apparated them both to Malfoy Manor.

* * *

Simon and the unconscious Xander appeared at the entrance to the Malfoy dungeons, deep under the main house. After Simon dragged him into a magical cell, he checked Xander over, pocketing his wand and the two-way mirror. He locked the door securely and went to find Draco. 

He stayed out of view of the ballroom, where Draco and Hermione were overseeing the decorations. Draco, sensing someone staring, turned to see Simon motion downward and knew that meant to follow him to the dungeons at once. As as soon as he had excused himself from Hermione, he rushed down to the dungeons to find the unconscious man. "Simon, who is he?" Draco asked.

"I followed him like you asked me to, boss, back to that Mr. Mason's office. As soon as Mr. Mason left he used this two-way mirror to report to Lucius. He was glamoured to look like Mr. Mason's assistant. We'll need to find the real man—hopefully he isn't dead by now. But he didn't have anything to report to Lucius, and Lucius was quite angry with him. He didn't reveal anything of use to Lucius, sir, but I felt it necessary to grab him. I didn't want to risk losing him. What do you want to do now, boss?"

"Well, we can't let him go. Lucius will probably guess that I've captured him. Why don't you get my stock of Veritaserum and question him thoroughly? I want to know anything that can be of use in stopping him. Knowing my father, wherever he is there are too many safeguards to track him down, but maybe this man can tell us something useful. Let me know when you're done questioning him. I'll alert the Aurors in the morning that we've captured someone." Draco nodded and turned to leave, saying over his shoulder, "Don't speak to me in front of Hermione when you come up. I'll tell her myself what's going on; I don't want to upset her."

Draco decided to tell Hermione about the man when they had finished questioning him. He led her to bed that night, wondering if he would have a lead on where to find his father before the party.

* * *

Simon had retrieved the Veritaserum from Draco's potions supply room and now had his prisoner bolted securely to the walls in chains. He opened the man's mouth and tilted his head up and poured three drops of Veritaserum down his throat, then pointed his wand and said, "_Ennervate_!" He watched silently as the man came to, his eyes glazed over his eyes from the potion. "Xander, tell me, where is your boss Lucius Malfoy hiding?" 

The man waging an internal struggle to avoid the urge to answer, but the potion was too powerful. "I don't know. It's protected. I only ever meet him in public places, and he only lets me know at the last minute where to go," Xander answered.

Simon took a moment to wonder what else he should ask, and then conjured a piece of parchment and a quill to take notes. "Tell me every place that you've met him in the past." He listened closely and wrote down the list of places Xander told him about. Then Simon conjured a map of England and marked the places that were listed on the parchment. When he was done, he stood back and looked at it; the dots formed an uneven circle hundreds of miles in circumference with a property in the middle, one of the many Malfoy estates. _Just like Draco suspected; but it doesn't make sense—we've searched that one, _Simon thought as he contemplated his suspicions. "Xander, what is your boss's plan for when he gets his hands on Draco and Hermione?"

"Boss plans to torture the Mudblood to death in front of his son. He says that's what it will take to knock some sense into him. He says once his son has seen the error of his ways, that's when they'll take over where Voldemort failed."

* * *

The next morning Hermione woke with a smile, feeling Draco nibble at her throat. "Morning," she said sleepily as she turned toward him and wrapped her arm around him, snuggling closer. 

"You ready to dance the night away in my arms?" he asked huskily as he pulled her even closer.

"Draco! The ball—it's tonight! There's so much to finish. I have to get ready!" she said in a panicked voice as she jumped out of his arms and off the bed, running for the bathroom in her own suite.

Draco chuckled at her as he slowly stretched and got himself up. Just then there was a knock on his door. "Sir, it's me, Simon. I need to speak to you."

Draco put his robe on and headed for the door, opening it and admitting Simon. "What did you find out?" he asked, hopeful that they could end this all before the ball.

"Sir, I questioned Xander thoroughly and I suspect that Lucius is staying at the Slidrian estate that your family owns up north. I know we came up empty when we searched it, but all of this man Xander's meeting spots circle around that estate. I suggest we call in the Aurors and raid it, and search it again. There has to be a door or something we missed. It's the best lead I have for you, sir," he said, sounding as if he wished he had more to tell Draco.

"Thank you, Simon. I'm going to get myself ready. Please contact Arthur Weasley; I'll be going with you all. I've only visited that particular estate a few times when I was younger, but maybe something will stand out to me. My father has several hidden rooms in Malfoy Manor, and I'm sure he does at Slidrian as well. No doubt you guys just didn't know where to look. I'll be ready in a hour; will you get everyone together in the dungeons before we leave? We need to be extra cautious," he finished as he quickly shut the door. _I've got to tell Hermione where I'm going, _he thought with a sigh.

**A/N: Well, here is Chapter 14, people! Sorry it took so long, but I can only write so fast with three stories at once lol… _Just so you know, the name of the estate "Slidrian" is Old English for 'Slither' lol…_ I hope you liked it! Please read and review! HUGS**


	15. Chapter 15

**Trapped**

* * *

He knocked on the door to Hermione's bathroom, almost chuckling at the muffled curse he heard, like she'd stubbed her toe or something. She opened the door a crack. "You knocked?"

"Let me in. I need to tell you something," he said, trying to control his voice so as not to alarm her. She opened the door and they both sat down on the small settee in her master bathroom.

"Draco, what's wrong?" she asked him cautiously.

"There's a small bit of information that may be helpful with tracking my father down. It's not a sure thing, but it's all we've got at the moment. I'm going to go with Simon and Arthur and the few Aurors who are joining us, to check out another estate that my family owns. I'll be back in time for the ball, I promise. It's just important that I be there when they search the Manor," he replied carefully, clasping her hand in his.

She looked at him for a few moments, then said simply, "Be careful. Remember you promised me the first dance." She leaned over and gave him a hug. Draco kissed her briefly and then went to get dressed.

* * *

Draco Apparated to the Burrow with Simon. They were greeted there by Arthur and two Aurors Draco remembered seeing when everyone was at Grimmauld for the celebration. They were all standing around the edge of the driveway. Draco approached them, shaking their hands briefly.

"Draco, the Aurors have cased the estate all night. They cast detection spells but didn't find anything. But knowing your father he could still be there, concealed. We need to move in quickly. What part of the house do you think or suspect might hold any secret rooms we couldn't locate?" Arthur said.

Draco thought for a moment as he stared at the moving surveillance pictures of the house Arthur had handed him. He closed his eyes and tried to remember more clearly the few times he had visited that estate. He opened them quickly when he had a flash of his father yelling at him. "It's got to be in the main study. I remember I wanted to read a book, and my dad walked in and found me going through the bookshelves in his private office. I remember thinking it odd because he'd always let me read anything, even his most precious Dark Arts books. I bet there was a book on that shelf that opened a secret door or something. That's something my father would do; I know at Malfoy Manor there's a similar secret entrance I showed to the Ministry officials when I had the place gutted of everything related to the Dark Arts."

"Okay, so here," Arthur said, pointing to the surveillance photos and blueprints that floated between them. "This is where we want to look, right? Are there any curses we should be careful of that you imagine would be guarding the door?"

"Just the usual stuff. Entrail-Expelling Curses, Sticking Charms – oh, and be very careful to use detection spells against acid potions. I remember my dad coating some things with that stuff once – melts your skin in seconds; you wouldn't even be able to heal it!" Draco said warningly, trying not to laugh at the incredulous looks on their faces.

"All right then, Draco, now we know what to look out for. Is everyone ready, then? We have a party to make it back to," Arthur said with a smile, trying not to think of how sick a man could be to let his own child grow up around such horrible things; and not just that, but actually teaching him about them as well.

They stored the pictures and the blueprints, briefly discussed their plan of attack, and then as a group they touched their fingers to the tin can Portkey that would take them to the wooded area behind Slidrian Mansion.

* * *

The moment they landed they swiftly pulled out their wands and cast Disillusionment Charms on themselves.

"All right, follow me and keep quiet," Draco whispered just loud enough for the others to hear. "Cast detection spells, but nothing else until we make it through the door. It should open for me without a problem or alarm. All of the Malfoy estates are spelled to open to any witch or wizard with Malfoy blood. Even my father couldn't remove a centuries-old family spell like that."

They walked quietly, every now and then bumping or stepping on each other since they couldn't see each other while they were under the Disillusionment Charms. They slowed their pace as they approached the door and watched in fascination as Draco touched the head of the metal snake that formed an M on the middle of the door above the knocker. It glowed green, then the door opened of its own accord. Draco stepped inside slowly and looked around at the sheet-covered furniture of one of the salons. He took off his Disillusionment Charm and motioned for the others to do the same. He pressed a finger to his lips to signal the need to be extremely quiet, and pointed towards the door they would go through that would lead to a smaller hallway. They walked quietly, listening for sounds as they came to the double doors at the end of the hall. They all cast detection spells and when nothing came up, with wands raised they threw open the doors.

The study was empty except for the shrouded furniture and the many books that lined all four walls. Draco walked over to the wall of bookshelves behind the desk and tried to remember which one he'd been looking through when he father had yelled at him. He looked at the titles on the spines of the books, many of them about Dark magic and genealogy. He smiled to himself and signalled the others to come closer as he touched his fingers to the spine of a book titled _Secretus Passarre_.

"I guess my father assumed no one else who could read Latin would look at his little collection," Draco said. He carefully pulled the book from the shelf and opened it to the cover page. After a moment of reading, he spoke the inscription on the cover page. Before he even finished the sentence, the bookshelf in front of him slid aside. Draco was shocked to see that there was basically a whole other house. The doors at the far side of the nearly identical study that had been revealed were open, showing them the long hallway that led from the room.

They entered the hidden study and split up to search for any sign that would point to Lucius having been there. One by one they each got each other's attention, pointing to moving photos – surveillance photos. Arthur found a journal that detailed every move Draco had made, including all the party preparations. There was also a receipt for a ring just like the one Draco had purchased. Draco paled. He knew his father. "Everyone out, _now_! It's a trap!" he screamed, running for the door into the first study, only to have it slam shut and lock into place. "Damn it!"

Everyone scrambled out the other door, searching each room for another exit, but when none were found they knew that Lucius had planned this well. They were trapped in this second house. Lucius was going to the party, and Hermione would be at his mercy.

* * *

Hermione smiled as she looked over her final appearance in the mirror. Her hair was up in an elegant bun, a few loose strands of hair framing her face in delicate curls. With a final wave of her wand to make sure there wasn't a single wrinkle in her dress, she headed out the door to collect Draco, knowing from the noise in the next room that he was nearly done getting ready himself.

* * *

Lucius smirked as he checked to make sure the Polyjuice Potion had worked. _What has come over that boy that he wouldn't clear his bathroom of any and all hairs?_ he wondered, disappointed that the Mudblood would distract his son to the point of stupidity. _No self-respecting Pure-blood would take such a chance!_

He straightened and wiped the smirk off his face in an attempt at a normal smile, an expression his son favored. At the knock on the door Lucius left the bathroom to escort his _girlfriend_ downstairs. He smiled politely after giving her what he thought was a very approving look, hiding his grimace at holding the arm of a Mudblood. Reminding himself that she would pay later that evening for being so presumptuous, he led her to the ballroom to greet "their" guests.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the LOOONNNGGG wait, and the shortness of the chapter. But I have to admit the plot bunnies had run away from me! So after a painstaking search, they have been properly wrangled and will start cooperating or else! Lol. Please read and review! *HUGS***


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